Romania is better prepared to receive new refugees

Romania prepares for a new wave of refugees.

Leyla Cheamil, 10.10.2022, 14:00

More
than 2.5 million Ukrainians fleeing war in their country have crossed
the border into the neighbouring Romania since the start of the
Russian invasion on the 24th February. Most of them have
travelled to the West, but some have stayed. The Romanian state has
taken a number of humanitarian, social and economic measures to
support them. Ordinary citizens, NGOs and hotel and restaurant owners
have also played a role, helping the newly arrived to adapt to the
new reality.

Romania
is better prepared to take in refugees from Ukraine, but there is no
indication at the moment that their number will increase, said
state secretary in the interior ministry Raed Arafat during a trip to
Suceava, in the north. He attended the distribution of French
donations to Ukraine at the humanitarian hub in Suceava created in
the context of the Russian-Ukrainian war and coordinated from
Brussels. The ceremony was attended by the French and Ukrainian
ambassadors in Bucharest, Laurence
Auer and Ihor Prokopchuk, respectively.

France’s
humanitarian assistance consists of over 1,000 tonnes of goods and 15
emergency vehicles. Raed Arafat said he hoped the situation in
Ukraine will improve, but that there is no certainty as to what comes
next and that Romania has to stay prepared. He said the
Romanian
authorities are now better prepared to cope in the event of a growth
in the number of refugees, as additional materials have been brought
in and
more places are available in accommodation facilities and transit
centres. Arafat also said there is no security risk with regard to
the European humanitarian hubs for Ukraine because they contain
civilian equipment and materials. The hub works under European
civil protection. We will continue to run it. It has been extended
until March and can be extended as long as necessary,
he explained.

The
French ambassador Laurence Auer said her country stands by the
Ukrainian people and the humanitarian assistance distributed from the
European hub in Suceava is meant to facilitate the economic recovery
of the Ukrainian cities and
areas destroyed.
The
assistance forms part of the operation A ship for Ukraine
initiated by the French president and supported by 1,700 communities
and around 60 enterprises that got involved. (CM)