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The 22nd 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 Thursday, March 17:
* President Klaus Iohannis said on Thursday, that during the talks with Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, he pointed out that the Republic of Moldova needs the support of the European Union and of the Member States to manage the increased influx of refugees.
"The war in Ukraine means, first of all, a deep humanitarian crisis. The dramas of millions of Ukrainians who are forced to leave their bombed country are devastating. From the outset, Romania has given full support to all refugees from Ukraine who come to our country. I have discussed with the President of the Spanish Government the measures adopted by Romania in this regard, in particular the operationalization of the logistics center in [northeastern] Suceava, which collects and transfers in Ukraine and, if necessary, in the Republic of Moldova, international humanitarian aid. This humanitarian hub is the concrete expression of European solidarity, essential in such moments. I have drawn attention to the fact that the Republic of Moldova needs our support, that of the Union and of the Member States, to manage the increased influx of refugees," said the president, at the Cotroceni Presidential Palace, after the meeting with the Spanish Prime Minister.
* Estonia and Romania have cooperation and partnership relations within NATO and work together to achieve common goals for the defense of Europe, President Alar Karis said on Thursday evening at Cotroceni Palace, noting that his country agrees that more action is needed on the Eastern Flank, given Russia's "aggressive" behavior.
"I am glad to be here in Bucharest. I would've hoped to see you in a different context, yet here it is important that two NATO allies and EU members stand together for Ukraine. We celebrated last year 100 years of diplomatic relations between Romania and Estonia. Our cooperation is a success story and so will it be in the future," Karis said after talks with President Klaus Iohannis.
* Spain will continue to be an example of how Ukrainian refugees should be received, visiting Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez declared on Thursday in Bucharest, noting that Russian President Vladimir Putin is trying to weaken the EU, but member states have provided a unitary response and condemn Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in unison.
"I conveyed to President Iohannis the Spanish people's solidarity as regards the flow of refugees from Ukraine, but also from other countries. The Romanian people has taken them all in. Spain will continue to be an example as to how refugees should be received, not only those coming from Ukraine, but also those arriving through the Republic of Moldova. I spoke with the President of the Republic of Moldova and assured her of the Spanish people's support. 1,000 Ukrainian refugees will be taken from the Republic of Moldova to Spain in this exercise of solidarity," Sanchez said at the Cotroceni Presidential Palace after talks with President Klaus Iohannis.
* A number of 225 Ukrainian children who entered Romania unaccompanied are in the country's protection centers, the Minister of Family, Youth and Equal Opportunities, Gabriela Firea, mentioned on Thursday on Facebook.
"Since the beginning of the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, 528 children have entered Romania unaccompanied, and 225 of them are still in the centers in our country," Gabriela Firea noted.
"KidsUkraine is an online platform for the real-time management of the situation of Ukrainian children entering Romania. Ukrainian children are going through a immeasurable drama. From the beginning of this unprovoked military aggression in Ukraine, we have been constantly looking for solutions to help the orphans who have come to us in the country. And when it came to children not accompanied by their parents, we looked for solutions to get them back to their families. It is in relation to the delicate situation of these children that we designed the KidsUkraine app, an online platform intended exclusively for the integrated management of the situation of children entering Romania without a parent or legal guardian," noted Gabriela Firea.
* Over 300 Ukrainians were registered at the Refugee Center in eastern Vrancea County since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine and until now, where they were accommodated in centers provided by authorities or individuals, according to the Vrancea Prefecture.
"Until now, throughout the county, 314 refugees were registered in the Refugee Center in Vrancea, staying in centers designated by the authorities, as well as with private persons. On Thursday, the accommodation capacity in Vrancea in temporary housing for refugees / displaced persons, established by the Decision of the Vrancea County Council for Emergency Situations, was 232 places. Of these, 36 were occupied (14 women, one man and 21 children). Regarding refugees who are staying at individuals around the county of Vrancea and registered in the Refugee Center, we specify that their number is currently 129. For individuals in the county there have been 54 women counted, 14 men and 61 children," according to a reply sent to AGERPRES by the Vrancea Prefecture.
* The occupancy rate of the accommodation centres of the General Inspectorate for Immigration is 68.3 per cent, the Ministry of Interior (MAI) informs on Thursday. Ever since the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine, 4,019 Ukrainian citizens applied for asylum in Romania, 45 of whom in the past 24 hours. These citizens benefit from all the rights stipulated by the national laws.
"In respect to the traffic at the border crossing points, we mentioned that, in the past 24 hours, 19,104 vehicles entered our country, and 63,709 persons, out of whom 15,286 Ukrainian citizens," showed the abovementioned source.
* Romania is an example in terms of the support granted to the Ukrainian refugees, Romanian Crown Custodian, Her Majesty Margareta, Romanian Red Cross President, said during a visit at the Isaccea border crossing point in Tulcea County. The Crown Custodian appreciated the manner in which the Romanian authorities have organised and voiced pride in the civil society having intervened to support Ukrainian refugees.
"I find it well organised. I am very proud of what Romanians are doing, that they have opened their arms and hearts. It is a beautiful and necessary thing. It will last in time, and this is the problem. (...) It is a worldwide effort we are making now, nonetheless Romania has acted exemplarily and I am very proud. But we must make an effort in time," Her Majesty Margareta said.
Her Majesty also mentioned the involvement of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), whose ad-interim representative in Romania, Pablo Zapata, participates in the coordination of support efforts for people leaving Ukraine.
* France's ambassador to Romania, Laurence Auer, said on Thursday that Romania is showing exemplary solidarity with Ukrainian refugees, "displaced people who have gone through dramatic situations."
"Thirty years after the return of democracy and fifteen years after its accession to the European Union, Romania shows exemplary solidarity with these displaced people who have gone through dramatic situations. Civil society and local authorities show extraordinary mobilization. The commitment of the Romanian authorities to the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism has been exemplary. The Suceava humanitarian hub, a logistics platform for the delivery of humanitarian aid to Ukraine, has been operational for several days," said Laurence Auer.
* A number of 929 Ukrainian citizens have reached in the past 24 hours the mobile transit camp for refugees set up in Husi City, inform representatives of the Vaslui County Emergency Situations Inspectorate (ISU Vaslui). According to the institution's spokesperson, Marius Stanciu, most refugees have moved towards other cities, and 14 requested they be hosted in the mobile camp.
* Dozens of children from Ukraine have enrolled as unattached pupils with two schools in Alba County, most of them being from among the refugees accommodated at the Dumbrava Monastery. The spokesperson for the Alba County School Inspectorate (ISJ), Gabriela Galea, on Thursday told AGERPRES that, until now, 42 children have enrolled in the county, as unattached pupils, with the secondary schools in Unirea and Almasu Mare. A number of 27 of them enrolled with the "Avram Iancu" Gymnasium School in Unirea, an educational unit where they receive help, including from a priest who knows Ukrainian language. According to the representatives of the Orthodox Archdiocese of Alba Iulia, at the Dumbrava Monastery, 50 people of Ukrainian citizenship benefit from accommodation and meals. Located near the National Road 1/European 8, in Cluj County, the Dumbrava Monastery was the first place in the county where refugees from Ukraine were accommodated. An abandoned childcare centre and a nursing home have been operating here for many years.
* The Union of Romania's Ukrainians (UUR) has so far collected over 800 tonnes of humanitarian aid and carried out more than 60 shipments in Ukraine, sheltering more than 700 refugees at its headquarters, according to Ukrainian minority lawmaker Nicolae-Miroslav Petretchi.
"The invasion of Ukraine by the troops of the Russian Federation, the war launched by Putin's regime and its disastrous consequences have united millions of people around the world, who have shown unimaginable humanity, which is why we want to start by thanking them, the Romanian state, the Romanian people, in its entirety, the central and local administration, non-governmental organisations, volunteers, donors and all those involved in the campaign to support the Ukrainian people in these extremely difficult times, demonstrating an incredible capacity to mobilise," Petretchi says in a press statement released on Thursday.
* Globalworth, a leading office investor in Central and Eastern Europe, is offering office floors in Romania to host 700 Ukrainian refugees, according to a press statement released on Thursday by the company. In Romania, Globalworth is offering two office floors in the BOB office building in Bucharest, which can host up to 700 refugees and a logistics space in Chitila Logistics Hub, where donations will be stored and sorted before reaching those in need.
"Providing shelter for refugees and storage for food and medical supplies is the first step in our humanitarian relief efforts," says Dimitris Raptis, Globalworth Group CEO.
* Refugees from Ukraine will have access to medical consultations by telephone in Ukrainian for general medicine and paediatric care, the Zi de BINE Association reports in a press release. The national telephone number 0040 373787805 is toll free and available 24/7. The hotline was opened by the Zi de BINE association in partnership Telios Care, a company that provides telemedicine services. The release carries data provided by the Romanian Border Police that show approximately 400,000 refugees from Ukraine have arrived in Romania since the outbreak of the war. Almost 305,000 people have already left for other countries, while 95,000 have remained in Romania.
* The fourth shipment of humanitarian aid collected through the 'Timisoara for Ukraine' initiative leaves on Thursday from Timisoara for the city's Ukrainian twin Chernivtsi, mayor Dominic Fritz said.
"Refugees from Ukraine are at the center of these actions, and their dignity comes first. This means that we do not treat them as anonymous victims, but we provide them support so that they are able to muster their own forces to manage these tragic events in their lives. (...) Two days after the outbreak of the Russian war in Ukraine - let us not forget who the aggressor is - we invited the civil society, whoever wants to get involved in Timisoara's response to this war. There was a meeting attended by organizations, universities and churches, and we agreed to found this umbrella organization, 'Timisoara for Ukraine'. Many other organizations, universities and companies have since joined us," mayor Fritz told a press conference.
