Romania briefs OSCE on Russian drone incursions, receives support from 41 states

Romania raised the issue of repeated violations of its airspace between July 24 and 26, during which the Romanian Armed Forces shot down three drones that had entered the country's territory without authorisation, at meetings of the Organization for security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the Foreign Ministry (MAE) said on Friday.According to the ministry, the incidents were discussed at the security Co-operation Forum on Wednesday and at Thursday's Permanent Council meeting, attended by representatives of all 57 OSCE participating states.Romania presented the facts and the findings of investigations carried out so far by its authorities and drew the attention of all OSCE participating states to the seriousness of the incidents, which occurred in the context of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. Romania stressed that the Russian Federation bears sole responsibility for the incidents and for the deterioration of the regional security environment, the ministry said.Romania also outlined the measures it had taken in response to the recent airspace violations, including declaring a member of the Russian diplomatic mission in Bucharest persona non grata and ordering the individual to leave the country within five days, as well as recalling Romania's ambassador to Russia to Bucharest for consultations.Following Romania's presentation, 41 OSCE participating states expressed concern over Russia's actions and voiced support and solidarity with Romania. Romania and the other participating states also reiterated their support for Ukraine in the context of Russia's war of aggression and called for an immediate ceasefire and the creation of conditions conducive to a comprehensive, just and lasting negotiated peace in Ukraine.Russia maintained its publicly stated position denying responsibility for the incidents, the ministry added.The OSCE, which has 57 participating states, is the world's largest regional security organisation. Its main decision-making bodies are the Permanent Council, which deals with political issues, and the Forum for security Co-operation, which addresses the politico-military aspects of security.