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The 20th 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 Tuesday, March 15:
* NATO's eastern flank must be strengthened in the context of the war in Ukraine, at the level of the one in the Baltic Sea area, in order to prevent any conflict in the area, President Klaus Iohannis said on Tuesday, after the discussions held at the Cotroceni Palace with his Bulgarian counterpart, Rumen Radev.
President Klaus Iohannis reconfirmed Romania's full support for all the refugees from Ukraine who come to our country and presented the measures adopted to help them. The two top officials also discussed the steps taken to provide humanitarian support, including through the operation of the logistics center in northeastern Suceava, which collects and transfers to Ukraine and, if necessary, to the Republic of Moldova, the international aid.
"It is quite possible that the flows of refugees will increase. That is why I have discussed with President Radev the best ways of coordinating so that we can cope well with this crisis without precedent," President Iohannis said.
The Romanian president stressed the need for the EU, together with all its member states, to provide support to the Republic of Moldova in the context of the large number of Ukrainian refugees, as well as in terms of increasing its resilience.
* The authorities are ready to increase the number of ferries at the southeastern Isaccea border crossing point in Tulcea County to ensure a higher rate of crossing of refugees coming from Ukraine, Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca said on Tuesday.
"We discussed this aspect, because, as we could see, at this moment, there is a regularity and a number of refugees that can be easily processed, but at the same time, there are data that we have learned from the Ukrainian citizens that beyond the border there are several Ukrainians who are waiting to leave the country and then we discussed what would be the possibilities of processing and transport at the moment that number would increase. With a single ferry it is clear that we cannot ensure a higher fluency and we found out from the Ministry of Transport that there is a reserve in Galati and several ferries can be made available to ensure a higher rate of passage. (...) We can definitely do this," said Nicolae Ciuca, at the end of the working visit to Vama Isaccea.
* The chairman of the European People's Party (EPP) in the European Parliament, Manfred Weber, who is visiting Bucharest on Tuesday, has noticed the efforts made by the Romanian authorities in support of the refugees, adding that the Ukrainian people is fighting for freedom and democracy.
"It's good to see that all European states have shown that they are open and are ready to receive refugees and help them, offering a home during wartime. It is good to see that we have a common vision, on the European side, regarding the unprovoked aggression from Russia and the sanction package. It is clear what is going on. We are siding with the Ukrainian people. They are fighting for freedom and democracy," he said, in a press conference, held together with the chairman of the National Liberal Party (PNL) Florin Citu.
* The chairman of the Hungarian Democratic Union of Romania (UDMR), Kelemen Hunor, who is in northern Sighetu Marmatiei for Hungarians Day highlighted that the Western world needs to remain united in order to defeat Russia's expansion.
"Within man resides the most noble desire and virtue, of a divine nature: to live free in dignity. Affirmation of life in front of destruction. Today, the Ukrainian citizens are fighting for freedom. All freedom-loving people are alongside them today. They are on liberty's side. They are against the aggressor, against the Russian invasion. We too are doing the same thing. Today, this is the only right conduct," Kelemen Hunor specified.
* As of March 14 at 24:00hrs, 425,786 Ukrainian citizens entered Romania, the Romanian General Border Police Inspectorate (IGPF) informs on Tuesday.
* More than 100,000 Ukrainian refugees have crossed the Romanian border through the Siret border crossing point since the outbreak of the armed conflict in the neighbouring country, the spokesman for the Suceava Border Police, Ilie Poroch Seritan, said on Tuesday.
* As many as 75 people from Ukraine are admitted to hospitals in Romania, Health Minister Alexandru Rafila said on Tuesday. As for the number of beds allocated per county for people injured or refugees who have various conditions that require surgery, the Minister of Health said that there are 3,300 beds available.
* More than 45 tonnes of foodstuffs have been sent to Ukraine so far by the Orthodox Diocese of Covasna and Harghita, which has organized humanitarian aid collections for people in conflict areas. Also, the Valcele parish in the Sfantu Gheorghe Archdiocese organized collections and distributed food, water, fruits and basic products to the Siret, Sighet and Isaccea customs, which products have later reached the conflict zones in Ukraine.
* An information point for foreign citizens or stateless persons in special situations from the area of armed conflict in Ukraine will be set up on the A1 Motorway, on the route of the green corridor that passes through Alba County, in Pianu. Thus, according to a decision of the Alba County Committee for Emergency Situations (CJSU), a modular building initially distributed to the Alba Dialysis Center will be relocated at km 316 on the A1 Motorway, and will house an information point for refugees from Ukraine.
* Over 30 persons, Ukrainian women and children refugees, are hosted at the Mogosoaia Palace, with Kata Rudakova, the artistic director of the Bravo Theater in Kyiv, among them. Arrived in Romania initially for a cultural project, she had to remain in Bucharest where she also obtained resident status.
"Following discussions with Ms. Kata, we had the initiative to bring 18 artists from Kyiv that we are hosting here and that we are supporting in their artistic activity. Unfortunately we didn't manage. Instead we brought eight children from Cernauti [Chernivtsi in Ukrainian - e.n.], who, are also pupils of the Art School, two of them being students at the Arts University in Cernauti. All of them are conducting their activity in creation workshops within the palace. (...) Meanwhile, there are 32 refugees, most of them mothers with children, and they have a relaxed program because the purpose is for them to feel good and, somehow, disconnect them from the tension of the war. Many are in transit, leaving towards western Europe, but many expressed their desire to remain in Romania," the manager of the cultural center also added.
The Mogosoaia Palace is hosting, in its Lapidarium hall, the work titled "Cross of the Tree of Life," done by Kata Roudakova, a copy of the "Cross of Miracles" or "Flower Cross", in a direct translation from its Slavonic name. The original is in the Arochena museum in Mexico.
"The icon is called 'Cross of Miracles' or 'Flower Cross', translated directly from its Slavonic name. In the Romanian tradition this icon is called the 'Cross of the Tree of Life'. The cross shows the entirety of human existence, and the tablets on the icon describe the crown of the Christian faith, that written by Petru Movila, a Moldovan prince who founded the first academy of studies in Eastern Europe, in Kyiv, and to whom we owe the text on this icon. The icon is unique through the fact that it has the text in Romanian with Slavonic characters. It is not a canonical icon because Jesus crucified is depicted with his eyes partly open," said, for AGERPRES, Nicoleta Zagura, the person responsible for the scientific research and artistic concept of the work.
* World Vision has shipped more than 100,000 food items to hospitals in Ukraine, according to a statement released by the organisation on Tuesday. The organisation distributed a second shipment of mattresses, detergents and other essential supplies.
* In the account opened by the Red Cross Suceava, aimed at acquiring necessary materials for granting humanitarian aid for Ukraine, donations were deposited until now, summing up 544,993 RON, the northeastern Suceava Prefecture informed on Tuesday. Currently, there are 6,220 accommodation spots for Ukrainian refugees put at their disposal by the Archdiocese of Suceava and Radauti, the other religious cults that are activating in the county area, territorial administrative units, economic operators and individuals, of which 900 are occupied.
