Government sets up task force on Ukraine
The PM of Romania Nicolae Ciucă set up a government task force to handle the effects of the conflict in Ukraine
Leyla Cheamil, 25.02.2022, 14:00
Romania supports an immediate end to the military attack on Ukraine, to enable diplomatic efforts to be resumed, PM Nicolae Ciucă said. “What we see is an unprovoked aggression against a sovereign and independent state, a member of the United Nations. The Russian Federation has chosen armed force to fulfil revisionist political goals,ˮ Nicolae Ciucă added. He emphasised that Bucharest stays constantly in dialogue with its NATO allies and EU partners.
Mr. Ciucă Thursday set up a government task force to handle the situation triggered by the military conflict in Ukraine. The main responsibilities of the group are to monitor the situation and to coordinate the measures taken by governmental agencies in order to make sure that all public services are operating.
According to the PM, the relevant governmental agencies are prepared to take over possible refugee inflows. “We reiterate our solidarity with the Ukrainian nation, and we are ready to provide humanitarian aid to those in need. We are monitoring the situation of the Romanian nationals in Ukraine and we are prepared to provide consular assistance and support through the inter-institutional task group with the Foreign Ministry,” the head of the Romanian government added.
Romanian authorities say Romania could receive 500,000 Ukrainian refugees. In a first stage, they will be hosted in camps located in 4 counties, namely Maramureş (north-west), Botoşani (north-east), Suceava (north-east) and Tulcea (south-east). But other counties as well, such as Braşov (centre), Galaţi (south-east) and Vaslui (east), voiced willingness to accommodate refugees.
Meanwhile, many Ukrainian citizens, mostly of Romanian descent, have already reached Romania, trying to escape the war. Most of them come from border areas.
On the other hand, PM Nicolae Ciucă emphasised that Romania benefits from the strongest security guarantees in its history. He pointed out that Romania, along with its fellow EU member states and with its NATO allies, especially in light of its strategic partnership with the US, is part of the most robust protection umbrella comprising the worlds democracies.
“The security and safety of Romanian citizens are in no way affected,” Mr. Ciucă promised. He also said that the authorities have made sure that Romania has enough natural gas stocks to cover the demand during the cold season. “We are constantly monitoring and measuring natural gas imports and exports on all routes in the country, to make sure we can take any measure required to secure steady gas supplies,” the prime minister explained. (A.M.P.)
