Nicolae Ciuca, Bogdan Aurescu and Marcel Ciolacu in Kyiv. They visited the towns besieged by Russians

Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca, PSD President Marcel Ciolacu and Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu paid an official visit to Ukraine on Tuesday. They met with the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, with the Prime Minister Denis Shmihal, and the President of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Ruslan Stefanciuk.

On April 26, 2022, Nicolae Ciuca paid a working visit to Ukraine, to Kyiv, during which he was accompanied by the President of the Chamber of Deputies Marcel Ciolacu and the Minister of Foreign Affairs Bogdan Aurescu. The Romanian delegation was received by President Volodymyr Zelensky, and the three Romanian officials met with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and Verkhovna Rada President Ruslan Stefanchuk.

The program of the visit included a visit to the towns of Borodianka and Irpin, near the capital Kyiv, which were severely affected by Russia’s illegal, unprovoked and unjustified aggression against Ukraine. Prime Minister Ciuca sent a message of condemnation in the strongest terms of the Russian invasion, human atrocities and material destruction, expressing Romania’s support for conducting an international investigation into the prosecution of those guilty of committing international crimes, including through voluntary financial contribution recently decided by the Romanian Government to the International Criminal Court Trust Fund.

During the talks with Ukrainian officials, Ciuca reiterated support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and outlined multidimensional support measures for Ukraine and the Ukrainian people in the context of the war, including the management of more than 820,000 refugees crossing the border into Romania.

“Prime Minister Ciuca sent a message of condemnation in the strongest terms of the Russian invasion, human atrocities and material destruction, expressing Romania’s support for an international investigation into the prosecution of those guilty of committing international crimes, including by the recent voluntary financial contribution, decided by the Government of Romania, to the Trust Fund of the International Criminal Court “, a Romanian Government press release says.

The Prime Minister highlighted the numerous administrative measures taken since the beginning of the Russian aggression to allow Ukrainian refugees access to the national territory and to ensure the necessary protection conditions, such as setting up refugee camps, regulating free access to medical, educational and transport services. and the labor market. Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca noted the attitude of extraordinary compassion and solidarity of the Romanian people with the Ukrainian people, reflected in the consistent volume of humanitarian aid delivered to Ukraine.

The Romanian Prime Minister also underlined the importance of developing connectivity between Romania and Ukraine by opening new border crossings, highlighting the key role currently played by the Iscaccea-Orlivka crossing, opened in 2020. Also of particular importance was granted to the analysis of the options for exploiting the potential of energy cooperation.

The Prime Minister of Romania stressed that Romania is available and interested in participating substantially in the post-conflict reconstruction process of Ukraine, depending on the parameters and priorities defined by the Ukrainian authorities, and a dedicated bilateral dialogue will be established on this subject.

PM @NicolaeCiuca: Honored to meet President @ZelenskyyUa in #Kyiv. Commended his leadership in these tremendously difficult moments&assured him of??full support for efforts to stop this illegal&immoral aggression,preserve UA sovereignty&integrity,help??refugees&support UA's??path pic.twitter.com/uik5u2BA7v

— GuvernulRomâniei (@GuvernulRo) April 26, 2022

During talks with Ukrainian officials, President Marcel Ciolacu stressed the regional role that Romania is prepared to take in the post-war reconstruction process of Ukraine and advocated for the rights of Romanians in Ukraine. Thus, Ciolacu claimed that Romania wants to be the main hub of stability and security in the region and, thus, our country to be actively involved in the process of reconstruction of Ukraine, after the war, both at government level and with Romanian companies. Moreover, the Ports of Constanța and Galați must be the main strategic points of connection between the two countries, between Ukraine and Europe, but also with the rest of the world. At the same time, Ciolacu argued that, in the process of Ukraine’s accession to the EU, the Romanian community in this country must come to enjoy all the rights enjoyed by minorities in the Member States of the Union and in Romania.

“I am here today to express my solidarity with a people who have not known relief even on the occasion of the most important holiday of Christendom. I am here to tell you that bombs will never stop the triumph of Good over Evil! I extend my condolences to the families of the victims of this illegal and unjustified war. Through atrocities, Putin’s Russia has challenged the very foundations of European and Western civilization and democracy. In front of you, I do not shy away from words: it must be said clearly and clearly that what is happening now in many places in Ukraine is genocide. Putin’s bullets and bombs are aimed at the systematic killing of a nation. These crimes cannot go unpunished, and the international community must ensure that justice is done to Ukraine! Romania has expressed in all international forums, and on all channels, its firm support for Ukraine,” Ciolacu stated.

The visit to Kyiv of the Romanian officials was initially announced by the Senate Speaker Florin Citu, who was saying some days ago he was going to travel to Ukraine together with Marcel Ciolacu. However, Citu was not accompanying the Romanian delegation to Kyiv on Tuesday.

PNL first vice-president Rareș Bogdan explained, on Tuesday evening, at Digi24, why the president of the Senate, Florin Cîțu, was not present with the prime minister Nicolae Ciucă, the head of the Chamber of Deputies, Marcel Ciolacu and the foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu in Kyiv.

The MEP said that Florin Cîțu will go to Ukraine on Wednesday, according to his initial program and that “there is nothing wrong with Romanian officials being there even for two days in a row”.

“The president of the Senate, Florin Cîțu, former president of the PNL, already had a scheduled and organized visit. Ukraine is at war. You cannot modify and intervene in these events once scheduled. The fact that the PNL president, the prime minister Nicolae Ciucă, the foreign minister, an extremely important man in the context of the negotiations in the region, Bogdan Aurescu – a man with great experience in international relations – and the president of the Chamber of Deputies, Mr. Marcel Ciolacu, participated in this visit. shows Romania’s support. Mr. Florin Cîțu will be present tomorrow (Wednesday – ed.) In Kyiv. His visit will take place, I am convinced, to all the standards announced before. The Prime Minister and his team considered it obvious for security reasons that it would be much better to announce this visit only after the moment when it will take place, precisely in order not to arouse hostile, serious, aggressive reactions from a Russia that is he finds himself in an obvious agony at this moment,” Rares Bogdan said.