At the informal meeting of EU foreign ministers (Gymnich) in Toledo on August 31, Foreign Minister Luminita Odobescu referenced Russia’s attacks this summer in the immediate vicinity of the Romanian border, on the Ukrainian Danube ports of Reni and Ismail, the Foreign Affairs Ministry said in a release, write Agerpres.

Odobescu „highlighted the need for an integrated approach to the Black Sea that would also include ensuring the resilience of the Republic of Moldova, a state severely affected by the consequences of the war”.

During debates on Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, the Romanian top diplomat reiterated the continuation of the multidimensional support for Ukraine. Regarding EU’s military support, she emphasized the importance of quickly reaching a political agreement on the eighth installment of the European Peace Facility. Also, the Romanian foreign minister expressed support for the consolidation of the EU Military Assistance Mission for Ukraine (EUMAM).

Regarding the EU’s long-term security commitments, Luminita Odobescu emphasized the need for flexibility and predictability of EU assistance to Ukraine and welcomed the future directions of action and the support for the creation of a special fund dedicated to Ukraine by a top-up of the European Peace Facility; discussions will continue to clarify the technical and implementation aspects.

In preparation for the high-level week of the UN General Assembly in September, the European ministers looked at ways to sync their diplomatic efforts at global level. The Romanian minister expressed full support for the ten-point peace formula proposed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and emphasized the importance of building arguments in dialogue with third countries based on the UN Charter and international law. During the informal exchange of views with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, Luminita Odobescu presented the European partners the latest measures taken by Romania as part of its multidimensional support for Ukraine, with an emphasis on our country’s efforts to develop existing capacities and corridors so as to double the transit of Ukrainian grain through Romania from the current 2 million tons per month to 4 million tons per month.

The Romanian official informed that up until now, more than 22.5 million tons of Ukrainian grain and goods have been exported with Romania’s assistance. The European foreign ministers had informal talks with Nigerian Foreign Minister Hassoumi Massoudou, and President of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Omar Touray.

The European top diplomats looked at the situation in Niger following the July 26 coup and the seizure of power by the military junta led by General Abdourahmane Tchiani, seeking to define a coordinated EU response to the current crisis. The Romanian official strongly condemned the coup d’état in Niger, which is damaging regional stability and the humanitarian situation in this state, and called for the return to constitutional order. Odobescu voiced support for ECOWAS efforts to manage the crisis and for coordination with „like-minded” partners, expressing concern for the humanitarian and security situation and reiterating Romania’s commitment to ensuring security in the Sahel region and to participating in the EU Capacity Building Mission Sahel Niger (EUCAP Sahel Niger) and the EU Military Partnership Mission Niger (EUMPM Niger), both of which have temporarily suspended their activity and limited their presence following developments in the field.