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The 19th day of war in Ukraine. Romania continues its actions to support Ukrainian refugees and Kyiv authorities.
Here is a selection of the main news of Monday, March 14:
* President Klaus Iohannis welcomed on Monday, at the Cotroceni Presidential Palace, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Italian Republic Luigi Di Maio, context in which the former expressed Romania's support for the adoption of new sanctions to maintain high pressure on the Russian Federation, the Presidential Administration informed in a press release. Klaus Iohannis presented Romania's efforts to help Ukraine through the Suceava Humanitarian Center and welcomed Italy's involvement in making this logistics hub operational. In context, the president stated that this humanitarian hub will also be used to support the Republic of Moldova, which is facing an increasing number of refugees. He appreciated that the Italian Foreign Minister will travel to Chisinau to discuss with the Moldovan authorities the best ways to cooperate in managing the large number of Ukrainian refugees.
Luigi Di Maio expressed his country's readiness to support humanitarian efforts both in Ukraine and in the states neighboring Ukraine.
* It is imperative for state authorities to work together with the civil society for managing the situation of the refugee from Ukraine, PM Nicolae Ciuca said, during a meeting with the civil society and international organizations involved in managing the Ukrainian refugee crisis, the Government informs, in a press release. The meeting was aimed at integrating the authorities' efforts with those of the civil society, through dialogue and coordination regarding the necessities in the field and implementation of an efficient work mode. Furthermore, the PM made an appeal for the collaboration and active involvement of the local public administration and highlighted the need to smooth over practices and procedures for all counties, in order to cover the needs that appeared in many border crossing points that are currently being crossed by Ukrainian refugees. According to the press release, given the evolution of refugee flows, coordination methods were evaluated for ensuring medium and long term protective measures, such as jobs, accommodation, or in the case of young students, to be registered to higher learning. Also, the topic of support for non-government organizations was also tackled, in the context of partnership with state institutions for supporting and facilitating access to services adapted to the needs of Ukrainian refugees.
* Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca received, on Monday, at the Victoria Palace, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Government of the Italian Republic, Luigi di Maio, the discussions regarding especially the situation generated by the military aggression in Ukraine, both from the perspective of the military, economic and social effects, as well as from that of the management of the humanitarian crisis and the flow of Ukrainian refugees, the government informed in a release.
"We welcome the European Commission's initiative to support member states that host refugees on national territory. Romania is among the states that will benefit from support for civil protection, given the implications of the humanitarian crisis. The funds will be used to provide assistance and accommodation conditions to the victims of this humanitarian catastrophe," the prime minister was quoted as saying in the government statement.
* Romania and Italy will continue to strengthen cooperation at all levels to strengthen both the security and the prosperity of the European space and the two states, Foreign Affairs Minister Bogdan Aurescu said on Monday at the joint press statements held with Italian counterpart Luigi Di Maio, who is on an official visit in Bucharest.
"Naturally, the main topic of our talks has been the serious security situation in Ukraine, which affects the entire European and Euro-Atlantic space. We are clearly calling on Russia to end its illegal aggression against Ukraine, to stop hostilities, to withdraw its troops from the entire territory of Ukraine," minister Aurescu said.
* The Minister of National Defence, Vasile Dincu, had a conversation on Monday with his Ukrainian counterpart, Oleksii Reznikov, regarding the developments of the security situation in Ukraine, the Ministry of National Defense reported.
"The Romanian Minister of Defense reiterated the solidarity with the Ukrainian people, the total and unconditional support of the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine in the internationally recognized borders. In this context, the Romanian official mentioned the efforts of the Romanian authorities and civil society to provide the necessary support to the Ukrainian refugee population following the military aggression of the Russian Federation," informs a press release of the Ministry of National Defense, transmitted to AGERPRES.
* Pablo Zapata, acting representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Romania, was received on Monday by Crown Custodian Margareta, with joint actions in support of Ukrainian refugees on the agenda of talks.
"Following the Crown Custodian's dialogue with High Commissioner Filippo Grandi, Her Majesty's House and the UNHCR Romania Agency discussed possible joint actions in support of Ukrainian refugees, both in their temporary settlement in Romania and in their transit through our country. The actions concern in particular education, social integration and assistance to those with refugee status," the Royal House said in a Facebook post.
* The Minister of Labor, Marius Budai, declared on Monday that 223 persons, refugees from Ukraine, have currently been employed in Romania, in the areas of production and services. Asked, in Parliament, about how many refugees from Ukraine were hired in Romania until now, the Minister of Labor replied: "223 persons. 48 persons through the National Agency for Employment (ANOFM), the rest of people were hired through the direct relation of employer - employee, but by registering the work contract in labor territorial inspectorates".
* The Managing Director of the Romanian Red Cross, Ioan Silviu Lefter, said that following the discussions held with the Romanian and Ukrainian authorities, a safe humanitarian corridor on the Siret-Chernivtsi relationship was opened, being in discussion for the next week two other such corridors. Ioan Silviu Lefter made the remarks in a press conference at the Victoria Palace at the end of the working meeting that Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca had with the representatives of the governmental institutions and those of the non-governmental organizations involved in the management of the refugee situation in Ukraine. He also spoke of the aid sent from several national societies of the Red Cross and the Red Crescent, following the international appeal launched from the Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent.
* Salvati Copiii [Save the Children] Romania warns about the risks the refugee children from Ukraine are facing, including human trafficking. Ever since the war started in Ukraine, 4,442 Ukrainian children and 3,775 adults - women, elderly, men with a documented medical condition, extended families - have received humanitarian assistance from Salvati Copiii Romania. Moreover, psycho-emotional services have been provided to children who were forced to abandoned their home, according to a press release of this organization sent on Monday to AGERPRES. The Salvati Copiii teams working at the border checking points and refugee centres have more than 45 experts (coordinators, psychologists, educators, social assistants) and 56 volunteers, some of them speaking Ukrainian.
* Burlington English Romania International School is hiring English teachers from Ukraine and providing free English classes for Ukrainian refugees, according to a press statement released by the organisation on Monday. Burlington English is hiring English teachers from Ukraine to teach conversational English online from anywhere. It says its initiative is designed to provide long-term assistance, a stable working environment, as well as to support the integration of refugees from Ukraine with the labour market. The company will continue the series of actions in support of Ukrainian refugees by providing free classes to Ukrainian refugees who want to learn conversational English. English lessons taught by Burlington English specialists will be conducted online, in a friendly environment, in small groups of students.
* The film "Donbass" by Ukrainian director Sergei Loznitsa, about the conflict in eastern Ukraine, will have a series of screenings in several cinemas in Romania, informs a press release sent to AGERPRES. The funds raised from the screenings will be donated to help Ukrainian war refugees, being directed to the Romanian Red Cross and other charities. "Donbass" is a 13-chapter portrait of one of the most troubled areas in Europe today. The film was screened at Cannes 2018, where Sergei Loznitsa was awarded the Best Director Award in the "Un Certain Regard" section, the release said. A black comedy about oppression, the effects of propaganda and manipulation in the post-truth era, 'Donbass' tells a universal story about humanity through war, shows the presentation of the film. The film was conceived by Sergei Loznitsa in 2015, after the documentary 'Maidan'. "Donbass" is a German-Ukrainian-French-French-Romanian-Dutch co-production and was directed by Oleg Mutu, best known for his feature films, such as "The Death of Mr. Lazarescu" (2005, directed by Cristi Puiu) and "4 months, 3 weeks and 2 days "(2007, directed by Cristian Mungiu).
* The first 8 ambulances donated by the Italian Government as humanitarian aid for Ukraine have arrived on Monday in the northeastern Siret Border Crossing Point, according to the chairman of the Suceava County Council, Gheorghe Flutur. According to him, humanitarian aid for Ukraine are "pouring" everyday through the Siret border point, this being a "sign of solidarity" of the European Union with the Ukrainians that are tried by the armed conflict in their country. Flutur said that these eight ambulances sent by the Italian Government are part of a lot of 22 of such vehicles, which are about to be sent as aid in Ukraine. The chairman of the Suceava County Council specified that these ambulances were picked up at the border by the deputy governor of the Chernivtsi region, Artur Muntean, and that they will be sent to Chernivtsi, Lvov or other areas where they are needed.
* A Mozart & Haydn charity concert, to be played by world class musicians, with a Stradivarius violin, will be organized, on March 24, in Cluj-Napoca, to gather funds in view of reconstructing the Philharmonic in Chisinau, the Republic of Moldova, destroyed in a fire.
"World class artists in a Mozart & Haydn charitable concert in Cluj-Napoca, on March 24 in the Auditorium Maximum hall of the UBB [Babes-Bolyai University]. After two years of restrictions and cultural events organized with limits, the people of Cluj will benefit from a large scale charity event on March 24, in the Auditorium Maximum of the Babes-Bolyai University in Cluj Napoca. Musicians of the Operas of Vienna will play together with the orchestra for the Chisinau Philharmonic destroyed in a fire two years ago," shows the release sent, on Monday, by the organizers.
* As many as 1,497 Ukrainian citizens entered the country in the last 24 hours through the Border Crossing Points (PTF) in southeastern Galati County, but none of them applied for asylum, the Galati Prefecture informed on Monday. According to the cited source, 637 Ukrainians entered through Galati road border checkpoint and 860 through the one in Oancea.
For Ukrainian asylum seekers, there 238 places available at the Galati Regional Center for Procedures and Accommodation for Asylum Seekers, of which only one is occupied. The City Hall of Galati has made available to migrants from Ukraine in transit a block with 130 places, of which 87 are occupied, and there are 150 seats, of which 15 occupied in the gyms of the Siderurgistul Sports Base. Also, there are 530 places in the dormitories belonging to the Dunarea de Jos University of Galati, of which 462 are occupied and there are 340 places, of which 136 occupied in the boarding schools and gyms belonging to the educational units in the county. A mobile camp on the Danube stadium with 402 places was also organized in Galati, all of which are currently vacant. Pensions and NGOs in Galati County have provided 436 places, of which 107 are occupied. At the same time, there are 30 places in the Community Social Center for families with children in Sendreni, all vacant.
* The German Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, Svenja Schulze, appreciated the activity of the Blue Dot Center, initiated by UNICEF at the Border Crossing Point (PTF) in northern Sighetu Marmatiei and the effort made by the authorities and local NGOs that are supporting the refugees, according to a press release sent by the Maramures County Council, on Monday. The German official visited the PTF Sighetu Marmatiei and the refugee camp in the city.
