Romania's contribution to discussions on achieving comprehensive and sustainable peace in Ukraine - discussed in CSAT

   Romania's contribution to the talks on achieving a fair, comprehensive and sustainable peace in Ukraine was discussed on Monday at the meeting of the Supreme Council for National Defense (CSAT), according to a press release from the Presidential Administration.The illegal and unprovoked war launched by the Russian Federation against Ukraine was one of the topics on the agenda of the CSAT meeting, which took place on Monday at the Cotroceni Palace, under the leadership of President Nicusor Dan, analyzing the situation on the front and the stage of negotiations, from the perspective of the implications for Romania."As a neighboring state, as well as a NATO ally and a member of the European Union, Romania is directly interested in the security of Ukraine, which has a major impact on both regional security and the entire Europe. Our country supports the efforts of the United States of America to end this armed conflict and condemns the lack of political will on the part of Moscow towards peace and its refusal for a complete, immediate and unconditional ceasefire. Together with the other EU and NATO member states, Romania will continue to support Ukraine in the fight to defend its sovereignty. It is in the interest of our country that the war ends with a just and lasting peace, which establishes solid guarantees capable of deterring a new aggression from Russia and contributing to the security of the Euro-Atlantic area, including the Black Sea region," the Presidential Administration's press release states.The cited source specifies that, within the CSAT meeting, Romania's contribution to the talks on achieving a fair, comprehensive and sustainable peace was also discussed, given the importance of a future peace settlement in Ukraine."In this regard, the CSAT members mentioned that the negotiations cannot take place without Ukraine and the EU, and a stable peace must firmly exclude any Russian attempt to re-divide Europe into spheres of influence", informs the Presidential Administration.Also, during Monday's meeting, the members of the Council analyzed and approved the Romanian armed forces that can be made available for participation in missions and operations outside the territory of the Romanian state in 2026.Other current topics in the field of national security were also debated during the CSAT meeting, the Presidential Administration also informed.    Convened in a meeting on Monday, the Supreme Council for National Defense (CSAT) determined that tax evasion remains a major vulnerability and agreed on several immediate directions of action: stepping up controls, speeding up the digitalization of the tax system, and using all the legal instruments to recover the damages caused to the Romanian state.The first topic debated at today's meeting referred to the impact of tax evasion on Romania's economic security, with the CSAT members pointing out that tax evasion remains a major vulnerability which affects the state budget, weakens the capacity of the institutions to provide quality public services and creates inequity among taxpayers, the Presidential Administration said in a statement.The CSAT concluded that a coordinated and firm approach by all institutions with responsibilities in the field is necessary to identify and dismantle tax evasion and tax fraud networks."Also, the key prerequisite for the success of the fight against tax evasion is the creation of an articulated and coherent regulatory and control framework, with concrete intervention mechanisms for the competent institutions and with professional integrity standards for employees. In this regard, the Romanian government, through the public authorities with relevant responsibilities, shall take the necessary measures to promote this adequate regulatory framework, including provisions on criminal liability, aimed at discouraging both tax avoidance behavior itself and enabler activities," the release states.    The Supreme Council for National Defense (CSAT) also examined on Monday two scenarios for the future of the Praid salt mine - one for restoring the old facility, the other for setting up a new mine for visitors and a new production mine, the Presidential Administration announced.The CSAT meeting, which was chaired by President Nicusor Dan, looked at the dire situation at the Praid salt mine - an important component of Romania's economic and strategic infrastructure - and also assessed the information provided by the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Economy, Digital Transformation, Entrepreneurship and Tourism, and the Ministry of Environment, Waters and Forestry on the recent incidents and possible vulnerabilities affecting the citizens' safety, the operation of the facilities, and compliance with environmental and exploitation regulations."The Praid salt mine is not only an economic site, but also has a significant social and tourist impact. Maintaining its safe operation is essential for protecting employees, the local community, and natural resources. Under these circumstances, the members of the CSAT also evaluated two scenarios for its future, one providing for the restoration of the old mine, the other proposing the setting up of a new mine for visitors and a new production mine as well," the Presidential Administration said. (Photo:https://www.presidency.ro/)