Gov't emphasizes Romania's constant and substantial efforts ever since beginning of Russia's invasion of Ukraine

  Romania has been at the side of Ukraine since the first moments of this tragedy and made constant and substantial efforts to come to the aid of the Ukrainian state, as well as the gravely affected population, the Romanian government said on Saturday, as the world marks two years since the beginning of Russia's invasion of Ukraine."Romania has maintained a constructive, transparent and trust-based approach in the relationship with Ukraine. We prove that we are a reliable and predictable partner both bilaterally and at European and multilateral level, thus contributing to the security and stability of the extended Black Sea region. Romania remains firmly committed to supporting the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, and the government of Romania will continue to work diligently to scale up the concrete and multidimensional support for Ukraine," the release states.The Bucharest Executive goes on to note that the Russian Federation's war of aggression against Ukraine is "an unprovoked, illegitimate and illegal act that runs counter to all the principles of the UN Charter and international law norms that make the foundation for the order the world we live in has been built on for decades.""The government of Romania appreciates the determination and resilience proven by Ukraine and the Ukrainian people and considers that the entire international community has a moral and political duty towards Ukraine that all those responsible for war crimes are brought to justice. To symbolically mark the significance of this moment and the solidarity with Ukraine, the Victoria Palace of Government will be lit this evening in the colors of the Ukrainian flag," the cited source said.*** 2023 marked the consolidation and deepening of Romania - Ukraine bilateral cooperation, through a transparent high-level political-diplomatic dialogue and bolstered cooperation at technical and sectoral level. On a governmental line, the most important actions were the visit of the Ukrainian prime minister to Bucharest (August 18), and the organization of the first joint meeting of the governments of Romania and Ukraine (Kyiv, October 18). These actions were proof of the very good bilateral relations and of Romania's firm commitment to stand by Ukraine as long as it will be necessary - until its final victory, and further on, in the reconstruction process and during its European and Euro-Atlantic integration. This commitment was also reaffirmed on the occasion of President Volodymyr Zelensky's visit to Bucharest, which also marked the decision to build a bilateral relationship at Strategic Partnership level, the government shows.The bilateral documents signed on the occasion of the two actions paved the way for the development of sectoral cooperation between Romania and Ukraine, providing benefits to the citizens of both states, and will concretely contribute to security and connectivity at regional level. Also, in the joint declaration of the Romanian and Ukrainian prime ministers signed on the occasion of the joint government meeting, the Romanian side welcomed the acknowledgement by the Kyiv Executive of the non-existence of the so-called "Moldovan language". This historic decision represents not only the recognition of an obvious reality, but also an important contribution to ensuring the protection of the members of the Romanian minority in Ukraine, an aspect that has constantly been among the preoccupations of the government of Romania, the release states.