The illegal aggression of the Russian Federation, a member of the UN Security Council, against Ukraine is a flagrant violation of the principles and norms of international law, the Romanian foreign minister said, 8 months after the outbreak of the war in Romania’s neighboring country. According to Bogdan Aurescu, this aggression triggered the worst crisis since the end of the Second World War.
„The consequences are multiple, both regionally and globally, through the negative impact on security, fundamental human rights, global sustainable development, as well as on energy, food and financial security”, the head of Romanian diplomacy pointed out. Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, Minister Aurescu said, Romania has provided humanitarian support to the millions of refugees who have crossed the national borders. A report published by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs 8 months after the start of the war shows that, during this time, over 2.6 million Ukrainians have transited Romania and over 86,500 have chosen to stay on Romanian territory.
Humanitarian measures included, among other think, the establishment of mobile camps in the counties in the border areas, the granting of free access to medical services, education, public transport and the labor market. The Romanian government has constantly responded to Kyiv’s requests and offered, among other things, fuel, medicine, food and emergency health care. Through the international humanitarian hub in Suceava (northeast), which became operational in March, Romania has facilitated 56 humanitarian transports from countries such as Italy, France, Bulgaria, Austria, Slovenia, Cyprus, Greece or Germany.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also recalls that Romania has been extensively involved in facilitating the transport and transit of Ukrainian grains to international markets. The complex measures for the enhancement of transit capacities, including the logistics capacities of the ports of Constanţa (on the Black Sea) and Galati (on the Danube), have allowed, until now, the export of over 5.2 million tons of Ukrainian grain, adding to over 5.5 million tons of other goods produced in Ukraine.
On a diplomatic level, Bucharest has been an active part of the multilateral efforts to condemn the Russian aggression, including the illegal annexation of Ukrainian territories, while, as regards international law, Romania supports the creation of a mechanism for holding accountable those responsible for the crime of aggression committed in Russia’s illegal war against Ukraine.
Roxana Vasile, Radio Romania International
