Aurescu stressed at Foreign Affairs Council meeting keeping EU's firm position on Russia's unacceptable aggressions

Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu stressed on Friday at a special meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels the need to maintain the EU's firm stance on Russia's "unacceptable" aggressions, given the gravity of the situation facing Ukraine and which has a major impact on the entire Euro-Atlantic security, informs a release sent by the Foreign Ministry (MAE).According to the MAE, the meeting aimed to address the far-reaching and multidimensional effects of Russia's illegal, unprovoked and unjustified military aggression against Ukraine, following talks by European leaders at Thursday's European Council, establishing firm and swift EU reactions against Moscow, including the adoption of a substantial, robust and comprehensive package of sanctions.During the special meeting, an exchange of views took place with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Dmytro Kuleba."The Romanian Foreign Minister reiterated his solidarity with Ukraine and his support for the independence and territorial integrity of this state, and reaffirmed his firm condemnation of Russia's military aggression, which is a blatant violation of international law and the fundamental principles underlying international order. He also said that in accordance with international law, Belarus was in turn responsible for aggression against Ukraine by offering its territory in support of military aggression by Russian troops.The Romanian official also stressed the importance of bringing back to the EU's active attention the issue of prolonged conflicts in the Black Sea region, which Minister Aurescu brought to the current agenda of the CAE last year, with the support of 10 more European counterparts. of the May debate at the informal CAE in Lisbon. Minister Aurescu pointed out that the current security crisis, aggravated by Russia through an armed aggression starting from a prolonged conflict - the one in eastern Ukraine - shows very clearly the opportunity and necessity of Romania's initiative, which must be continued by the CAE.The foreign ministers formally adopted the package of additional sanctions against the Russian Federation, based on the political agreement of the European leaders, expressed at the extraordinary meeting of the European Council the day before.Regarding the support provided to Ukraine, Bogdan Aurescu said that it is important for the EU to respond to the immediate needs of this country transmitted under the European Emergency Mechanism and informed that Romania provided first humanitarian aid, consisting of medical supplies, the MAE release said.Minister Aurescu pleaded in favor of EU support, in the current circumstances, and for the other Eastern partners, especially the Republic of Moldova and Georgia, whose resilience needs to be strengthened. He said it was essential to send a strong message in support of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the two states, along with support for Ukraine.Aurescu also insisted on evaluating, at the level of the European External Action Service and the European Commission, the measures available for providing technical and financial assistance, to increase their resilience and to support the efforts of the Republic of Moldova, both in terms of management of Ukrainian refugees, as well as a possible new energy crisis.The Romanian official also informed about Romania's support for the evacuation of citizens from member states, but also from third countries located in Ukraine, by facilitating the transit through our country. He also proposed for consideration the idea of creating a special fund dedicated to the management of the refugee situation in the context of the present crisis, if necessary, the quoted release also highlights.