Romania’s Parliament on Monday held a special sitting to mark one year since Russia invaded Ukraine on 24th February 2022. Romanian senators and deputies condemned the military aggression and promised that Romania would continue to support the neighbouring country. The Liberal MP Sorin Cîmpeanu sent a strong message:
„No country can stay silent. We stand by you and will help you for as long as necessary.”
Another Liberal MP, Nicoleta Pauliuc, focused on Romania’s important role in the current geopolitical context:
„We have demonstrated that we have embraced the European principles and values, that we are playing an important role in the architecture of the Western world, as a bulwark at the eastern border of the European Union and NATO.”
Her Social Democrat colleague in the ruling coalition Radu Oprea said NATO and the European Union have boosted their support, something he said must continue, and provided a stark reminder:
„Millions of people have fled the war. More than 3.5 million have crossed the Romanian border. The Romanian people have welcomed them with open arms, showing compassion, decency, empathy.”
Ukraine’s chance of victory is Europe’s chance with respect to defending and promoting freedom and democracy, emphasised Turos Lóránd, from the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania:
„Freedom must be protected, must be defended. The rights violations committed by Russia are not restricted to Ukraine’s territory. We’re dealing in fact with a war against the free world.”
From among the opposition parties, Radu Mihail, from the Save Romania Union, said:
„We must endorse openly and by vote that Russia is behaving like a terrorist state and that Romania stands in solidarity with the victim terrorised this past year, Ukraine!”
The Alliance for the Union of Romanians also condemned any form of military aggression. However, it also alluded to the situation of the ethnic Romanian minority in Ukraine and the fears about damage to the Danube Delta ecosystem in light of recent reports about Ukrainian plans to dredge the Bystroye canal on the Danube river. Claudiu Târziu, from the Alliance for the Union of Romanians:
„We can’t just stand by and watch the process of forced assimilation to which the ethnic Romanians are subjected to in Ukraine and we can’t ignore that Ukraine may well destroy the entire Danube Delta out of self-interest.”
Ukraine’s ambassador to Romania Ihor Prokopchuk, who attended the special sitting of the Romanian Parliament, conveyed his country’s gratitude for the support provided by Romania on all levels, adding that Ukraine will resist and will prevail. (Roxana Vasile, Radio Romania International)
