Romanian FM on the Romanian kidnapped in Burkina Faso in 2015: Money is being demanded, legally we cannot give it
Romanian Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu has stated while presenting his ministry’s balance sheet on Tuesday that Romania is in contact with the authorities in Burkina Faso in the case of Iulian Ghergut, the Romanian kidnapped there in 2015, adding that the situation is complicate, as the kidnappers are asking for money and the Romanian state cannot legally pay the money.
„As for the situation in Burkina Faso, there is still an active crisis cell on this issue and we are in very close contact with the authorities in Burkina Faso, Mali and Algeria. We are still working on to find a solution to bring him back to Romania. Unfortunately, the situation is a little bit complicated. The kidnappers are demanding a certain sum of money, and we cannot legally pay it,” FM Melescanu said.
He added there have also been discussions with the employer of Ghergut, Frank Timis and with an insurance company to find ways to set Ghergut free.
In June this year, FM Melescanu informed that Ghergut is in Mali.
As for the the other Romanian engineer recently kidnapped in Libya, FM Melescanu also said they are in close contact with the Libyan authorities, mentioning it’s no terrorist action involved here.
„The kidnapping is related to some salary gaps within those oil fields,” he said.
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