On May 12th, 2023, a short courtesy meeting between Mr. Lucian Nicolae BODE, Minister of Internal Affairs, and Mr. Christian RODRIGUEZ, Director General of the French National Gendarmerie, took place at the MAI headquarters, in the context of the visit by the head of the French Gendarmerie in Romania during May 11th-12th, 2023. Her Excellency Mrs. Laurence AUER, the ambassador of the French Republic in Romania, also participated in the activity.
During the meeting, both sides highlighted on the very good bilateral cooperation in terms of police collaboration and at the level of the Gendarmerie, which will be extended to other areas such as cybercrime and domestic violence. The Minister of Internal Affairs also pointed out the constant support given over the years by the French side in the process of institutional development and evolution of the Romanian Gendarmerie.
The participants in the discussions highlighted the important contribution of the representatives of the relevant structures, the internal affairs attachés of the two ministries, as well as the Romanian police officers who participate in operational missions on the territory of France. The activity carried out by them contributes to ensuring the security of the citizens of the two states, a very important aspect in the current context characterized by numerous challenges to national security.
Regarding the subject of Romania’s accession to the Schengen area, the French side reconfirmed its support in this regard and specified the importance of maintaining at a high level the commitment demonstrated by Romania in order to be able to fulfill this major objective in the shortest possible time. Mr. Lucian Nicolae BODE thanked for the message sent and stated that Romania continues the dialogue with all the member states in order to obtain a favorable decision this year.
