PM Ciuca: Ukrainian ambassador to be requested that Romanian authorities receive approval to verify Bystroye Canal works

Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca said that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) will convey to the ambassador of Ukraine to Romania on Monday that the Romanian authorities request approval for the verification of the works carried out in the Bystroye Canal.

"There are several institutions that are responsible for monitoring and verifying the activity at the Bystroye Canal. I have held discussions with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of the Environment and the Ministry of Transport. Each of them has the duty to conduct checks before initiating other steps than those that have been made public until this moment, which is why the Ministry of Foreign Affairs coordinated with the Ministry of the Environment and the Ministry of Transport, initiated the verbal notes to the Embassy of Ukraine in Bucharest, a response was received specifying that maintenance works have been carried out and today the ambassador of Ukraine will be present at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and he will be requested that in the next period the Romanian authorities receive approval for the verification of the works," said Ciuca, before participating in the meeting of the Executive Bureau of the National Liberal Party (PNL).

He stated that the works "have an impact on the environment, they have an impact on the Danube Delta".

"At this time, please allow us to verify and confirm this data. None of the institutions we have spoken of can confirm this data until we are at the [Bystroye] Canal and we are able to verify and perform depth measurements as they were executed," said the prime minister.

Nicolae Ciucă explained that the works carried out at a depth of 3.5 meters are for maintenance, and those that exceed this limit means deepening the Canal.

"Based on the measurements, both the Ministry of the Environment and the other structures that are responsible and those that are concerned with maintaining the Danube Delta in its natural form will act as such," added the prime minister.