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The main risk when it comes to security in the Eastern European region is represented by Russia, while this state's actions create "an absolutely real and direct threat to countries in Eastern Europe and countries in the Black Sea area," Ukrainian Ambassador to Romania Oleksandr Bankov stated on Friday.
"The main risk is represented by Russia and Russia's action in the entire Eastern Europe and especially in the Black Sea region, for Russia's actions and imperialist Russia's ambitions create in fact an absolutely real and direct threat to countries in Eastern Europe and countries in the Black Sea area. This is what we all know and I believe that you all saw the latest developments, this is already an open attack, which is in fact what happened in the war between Ukraine and Russia, when the attack was conducted under Russia's pavilion and ordered and it was, in fact, carried out by the Russian forces," said the Ambassador, on the occasion of his participation in a debate on security issued at the Eastern border of NATO organised by the "It depends on us" Association, the Hanns Seidel Foundation - Romania and the Centre for Prevention of Conflicts and Early Warning.
He believes that the sanctions imposed on Russia for "the aggressive actions" in what concerns the Eastern flank of NATO did function, but this is not the result expected yet.
The Ambassador said that there are many directions in what concerns the measures that should be taken for strengthening security in Eastern Europe.
He also mentioned that Romania and Ukraine share a good cooperation in the military and law enforcement fields, specifying that this week there were signed two collaboration protocols, one with the Romanian Border Police, the other one with the General Anti-corruption Directorate with the Interior Ministry (MAI).
Asked by the journalists about the law that forbids the right of minorities in Romania to study in the Romanian language in Ukraine, he stated: "This is not about forbidding some rights, this is about strengthening education in Ukrainian language and this topic is very well known, it is bilaterally discussed (...) The topic, the subject will be approached during some meetings that will take place next week," said Oleksandr Bankov.
President of the Centre for Prevention of Conflicts of Early Warning Iulian Chifu stated that the Romanians are affected by the situation in Ukraine.
In his opinion, in order to consolidate security in Eastern Europe there is a need of European unity. "I believe that, first of all, we should have European unity and, second of all, we should have Trans-Atlantic unity, between the EU and the United States that is. I saw a few very strong messages delivered after the last reunion of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the NATO member states (...) we basically see the temptation to make this cohesion and go further on these directions," Chifu said.
