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Minister of Foreign Affairs Bogdan Aurescu met today, as part of his official visit to the Netherlands, with the President of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Judge Chile Eboe-Osuji, and with the President of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf.
The meetings with the heads of the two international judicial institutions were an occasion to highlight the importance Romania attaches to the use of international law in support of strengthening international peace and security, and the role of international judicial bodies in promoting and consolidating the rule of law at global level, the Foreign Ministry said in a release.
Minister Aurescu reaffirmed Romania's support for the role of the International Criminal Court, as an essential tool for combating impunity for the most serious crimes, as well as Romania's commitment to further action for ensuring the independence and proper functioning of the Court with a view to achieving its goals. The Romanian top diplomat also stressed that the promotion and observance of international law is part of the essential core of Romania's foreign policy.
On this occasion, Minister Bogdan Aurescu donated the ICC, on behalf of the government of Romania, a painting showing Romanian interwar diplomat and internationally reputed jurist Vespasian Pella (1897-1952), one of the "founding fathers" of the concept of permanent international criminal court and an assiduous promoter of the establishment of such a court. "The donation of the painting to the ICC reflects Romania's long-term involvement in the development of international criminal law," the Ministry said.
ForMin Aurescu pointed out on this occasion that through the contribution of the diplomat and lawyer Vespasian Pella, Romania has been involved ever since the interwar period in the development of international criminal law. Pella has worked tirelessly in organizations relevant to international law, such as the International Association of Penal Law, of which he was a president. Bogdan Aurescu suggested that one of the halls of the ICC headquarters be named after Vespasian Pella.
During the discussions with the ICJ President, Minister Bogdan Aurescu reiterated Romania's strong support for international law and international justice, and particularly for the essential activity of the International Court of Justice, as a means of peacefully settling disputes in accordance with international law, an aspect revealed also by Romania's accepting in 2015 the ICJ compulsory jurisdiction, as well as by the submission of the case of the Black Sea Maritime Delimitation (Romania vs. Ukraine) before this international court.
As a former Agent of Romania before the ICJ in this case, the Minister of Foreign Affairs mentioned that this case, which brought Romania 9,700 sq. km of continental shelf and exclusive economic zones (80 percent of the disputed area), is considered emblematic for the Court in the line of maritime delimitations, and exercised a special influence on the subsequent jurisprudence of the ICJ and other international courts. Minister Aurescu also evoked the particularly positive impact the settlement of this dispute had for Romania.
He also expressed satisfaction that during his first ministerial term, he succeeded in completing Romania's acceptance of the ICJ compulsory jurisdiction, a gesture that expresses our country's support for the Court and for extending the influence of international law to the international community. At the same time, the Romanian Minister of Foreign Affairs presented the proposal for a campaign to promote the acceptance of the compulsory jurisdiction of the ICJ, a proposal welcomed by both the ICJ President and Clerk.
They thanked Romania and the Romanian Minister for the strong support provided to the Court and international justice, including through Romania's supporting the creation of a Trust Fund for ICJ's Judicial Fellowship Program that supports law students from developing countries get acquainted with the ICJ jurisprudence and practice. Also, the ICJ President appreciated the activity carried out by the Romanian official as co-chair of the Study Group of the International Law Commission on the sea-level rise in relation to international law.
In the context of his presence in The Hague, the Romanian Foreign Minister also honored the memory of Romanian diplomat Constantin Karadja, a Holocaust-era saver of thousands of Jews, by observing a moment of silence in front of the house where Karadja lived and which is marked through a a commemorative plaque placed courtesy of the Romanian authorities. Romania is committed to fighting anti-Semitism, extremism, racism and all forms of discrimination and intolerance and is an active member of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, whose Presidency it held from March 2016 to March 2017, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also said.
