Romanian Prime Minister visits Israel

Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu has expressed Romania's solidarity with Israel on the sidelines of his visit to this country

Ştefan Stoica, 18.10.2023, 14:00

High-profile
politicians from all over the world have visited Israel or are about to in
order to express solidarity with this country, hard hit by the Hamas terrorist
attacks, looking of ways to avoid a regional war. Romania’s Prime Minister,
Marcel Ciolacu, was also one of the European leaders that visited Israel on
Tuesday. During his meeting with his Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu,
Prime Minister Ciolacu conveyed a message of compassion on behalf of Romanian
society for the victims of the October 7 attack. Bucharest is concerned about
the consequences of the terrible attacks on the civilian population, both
Israelis and Palestinians, Marcel Ciolacu said, adding that Romania continues
to promote peace and will stand with its allies in these troubled times.

I decided to visit
Israel today because, in such troubled times, such as the ones experienced
today by the Israeli people, a country’s friends and partners must show their
solidarity. Romanian society, the Israeli community in Romania and the Romanian
community in Israel mourn the death of innocent women, children and youth,
killed in the Hamas terrorist attack. Romania has firmly condemned the attacks
in Israel, the atrocities committed by Hamas, a terrorist organization that
holds the Palestinian population hostage to accomplish its extremist goals. The
Romanian Parliament was one of the first legislative bodies among democratic
states to adopt a resolution expressing solidarity with the State of Israel.

Marcel Ciolacu called
for the immediate release of all hostages and people abducted and for avoiding
all acts of aggression, in particular targeting civilian population. The Prime
Minister insisted on opening humanitarian corridors in Gaza and providing
assistance to refugees. Marcel Ciolacu thanked Israeli authorities for taking action
to support the repatriation of Romanian citizens. Over 2,000 Romanian nationals
were brought home from Israel. The Foreign Ministry is monitoring another 350
Romanians and their families in Gaza, of whom some 200 have called for
assistance to get home. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu assured his Romanian
counterpart that Israeli authorities will do everything in their power to help
evacuate Romanians from Gaza and thanked Romania for its show of solidarity.
The civilized world should rally behind Israel in its fight to eradicate Hamas.
No one could make peace with Daesh (The Islamic State, ISIS, e.n.), no one
could make peace with Al-Qaeda, no one could make peace with the Nazis. They
must be defeated, and then we shall have peace, the Israeli Prime Minister
pointed out. At the special meeting of the European Council held by video
conference, Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis strongly condemned the Hamas
terrorist attacks in Israel. Romania unequivocally supports Israel’s legitimate
right to defend itself, which should observe the standards of international
humanitarian law, the Romanian president added. (VP)