ForMin Aurescu reiterates condemnation by Romania of the illegal, brutal, unprovoked, unjustified aggression of Russia in Ukraine

Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu reiterated Romania's condemnation of Russia's illegal, brutal, unprovoked and unjustified aggression against Ukraine during a briefing at the informal UN Security Council meeting on the call for liability for atrocities committed in Ukraine, initiated by Albania, France and Ukraine, in a hybrid system.According to a press release of the Foreign Affairs Ministry (MAE), in this context, the Romanian Minister "reiterated the condemnation, by Romania, of the illegal, brutal, unprovoked and unjustified aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine." He also drew attention to the serious deterioration of the humanitarian situation and the destruction in Ukraine, which he also personally observed during his visit the previous day, including in the localities of Irpin and Borodianka, as part of a delegation led by the Prime Minister of Romania, Nicolae Ciuca, and he called on the armed forces of the Russian Federation to stopped the abuses against civilians, in serious violation of the international humanitarian law.The head of Romanian diplomacy also voiced confidence that no one involved in committing atrocities in the context of the armed conflict in Ukraine will go unpunished.The Romanian official referred to the initiatives in the field of international criminal justice promoted or supported by Romania in connection with the conflict in Ukraine, such as the notification, carried out together with other EU member states and other states that share the same values and objectives, submitted to the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court to investigate into the crimes of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Ukraine, the payment of a voluntary financial contribution of 100,000 euros from the MAE budget to the International Criminal Court Trust Fund (ICC) to support the work of the Prosecutor's Office for 2022, and joining the Group of Friends of Responsibility as a result of the aggression against Ukraine.Aurescu also expressed Romania's intention to continue promoting the initiative launched in 2021 to stimulate the widest possible acceptance of the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and encouraged as many states as possible to join this initiative.The informal meeting of the UN Security Council set out to discuss ways to support and coordinate the various evidence-gathering efforts on the most serious crimes recently committed in Ukraine, with a view to prosecuting those responsible. Speakers at the opening of the meeting were UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet, Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court Karim Khan, Chairman of the International Commission of Inquiry into Ukraine of the Human Rights Council Erik Mose, Prosecutor General of Ukraine Iryna Venedik and civil society representatives (Ida Sawyer, head of Human Rights Watch, and Amal Clooney, Clooney Foundation for Justice).