Romania at the World Economic Forum

Romania has reaffirmed its support for Ukraine and for EU enlargement in ex-Soviet space

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Bogdan Matei, 19.01.2024, 01:50

Nearly two years ago, when
Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, ordered his troops to invade Ukraine,
Romania immediately expressed solidarity with its neighbor. Over seven million
Ukrainian citizens fled the country, crossing the Romanian border. Most of them
went on to travel to countries in Western Europe, although approximately one
hundred thousand chose to stay. Last year, the port of Constanța reported the
largest volume of processed goods – 92.5 mln tons, accounting for a 22.5%
increase compared to 2022. Of these, over 14 mln tons were Ukrainian grain and
products from Ukraine, a country whose maritime and river ports have long been
subject to Russian bombings and blockades. Overall, Bucharest remains one of
the most consistent supporters of Kyiv in diplomatic, political, logistic and
humanitarian terms. Things won’t change in 2024. Romania’s Foreign Minister,
Luminița Odobescu, again condemned Russia’s war of aggression and reiterated
Romania’s firm support for the independence, sovereignty and territorial
integrity of Ukraine on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum hosted by Davos.
The Romanian official highlighted the risks Russian attacks targeting Ukrainian
citizens and infrastructure also pose for regional security. Romania is an
active presence at regional and EU level, Luminița Odobescu told Radio Romania.

Our active involvement in the
enlargement process, not only with partners from the Western Balkans, but also
from the Eastern Partnership, remains a priority on our agenda. A number of
leaders from the Balkans and Eastern Europe attended the proceedings. We’ve
talked and discussed future steps in terms of EU rapprochement. Romania is
actively involved not only in terms of political support, but also in terms of
diplomatic action it undertakes to support and prepare the administration, to
adopt legislation for various reforms.

Also this week, Romania’s Defense
Minister Angel Tîlvăr had a videoconference call with his counterpart from
Ukraine, Rustem Umerov. I have assured Minister Umerov Romania strongly
condemns the Russian aggression, the attacks on the civilian population and
infrastructure, actions that have intensified in recent weeks. Romania
continues to support Ukraine alongside its allies and partners, Minister Tîlvăr
went on to say. The two officials also discussed concrete measures to
consolidate bilateral cooperation in the field of defense, with a focus on
training Romanian and Ukrainian pilots at the F-16 European Training Center in
Romania. (VP)