MNA � Romania, which has assumed the presidency of the EU Council, has vowed to support and promote a financial mechanism that the EU has promised Iran to circumvent US sanctions.

The statement which was sent from Romania embassay in Tehran to Mehr News Agency reads:

Between January 1 and June 30, 2019, Romania will exercise its first mandate at the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union, on the background of an European agenda marked by political developments and dossiers with a decisive impact on the future of the Union. The Brexit, the negotiation of the Union budget for the period 2021-2027, the European Parliament elections of May 2019, preceded by a campaign with major political stakes will increase the complexity of the agenda of the forthcoming EU Council Presidency.

In the context of such challenges, Romania aims to promote during its mandate a pragmatic vision, centered on the principle of European cohesion on all levels: political, economic, social. Working under the motto "Cohesion, a common European value", the Presidency of Romania at the Council of the European Union will focus on identifying solutions that reflect both the interests of the Member States and the vision of the European institutions, thus responding to the ideal of a united and strong Europe.

The priorities of the Romanian Presidency at the Council of the European Union are based on the imperative of cohesion, declining in the four main pillars of action: (1) Europe of convergence: growth, cohesion, competitiveness, connectivity; (2) Europe of safety; (3) Europe, global actor; (4) Europe of common values.

As the Presidency, Romania will lead the work of the Council of the European Union with the opportunity to contribute to the advancement of the European agenda by impartially managing the major dossiers on the European agenda during the six-month term: defining the future budget of the European Union, The Single European Market, strengthening the EU social dimension, the Union's internal security agenda, the fight against terrorism, managing the phenomenon of migration and strengthening the role of the European Union on a global scale.

The calendar of the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union comprises a large number of meetings and events of a level or with predominantly technical, formal or informal component. Alongside the informal Summit in Sibiu (9 May 2019), the key moment for identifying the lines that will guide the Union's action in the medium term, with a view to agreeing on the future EU Strategic Agenda, numerous informal events organized at national level will offer the opportunity to highlight the comparative advantages of Romania and to promote the national vision on the evolution of certain European policies.

Starting from the four pillars, the Presidency of Romania at the EU Council will pursue economic and social convergence by promoting the benefits of digitizing European industry, preserving the four fundamental freedoms of the internal market, promoting gender equality and supporting cohesion policy and common agricultural policy. In the process of strengthening the EU's role at global level, it will highlight the importance of enlargement policy and the Union's action in the neighborhood, with a positive impact on the regional equation. Last but not least, the Presidency of Romania to the EU Council will act to protect democratic and free elections for the European Parliament.

During the six months of the mandate, Romania will follow through its actions the consolidation of European cohesion and unity as prerequisites for the advancement of a viable European project.

Regarding Iran �EU relations, Romania as rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union expresses its readiness to work with all important international stakeholders to tackle current international issues, on which the world public opinion is focused on, in a constructive spirit, in order to deepen mutual knowledge of the official positions towards priority issues that concern both our countries and the international community. Romania will support and will promote the E3 initiative to implement SPV mechanism.