President Nicusor Dan stated on Sunday, in a message posted on Facebook, that Romania is completely safe and is under no direct threat in the current regional security context in the Middle East. He emphasised that the priority at present is the safety of Romanian citizens in conflict zones and advised them to remain calm and follow the instructions of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) and the authorities of the respective countries.

‘Although the current regional security situation in the Middle East has deteriorated significantly, our country is out of any danger. The Romanian state institutions responsible for foreign policy and security are monitoring developments and are taking all necessary measures in such circumstances,’ the head of state said.

He underlined that ‘the priority at present is the safety of Romanian citizens in conflict zones’.

‘To Romanian citizens and tourists in the area, I urge you to remain calm and to follow the instructions and messages issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and by the local authorities in the states where you are located. A crisis cell is operating within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, tasked with identifying the safest and quickest options for repatriating those who have been stranded as a result of the closure of airspace in the Middle East region. Romania will continue to act responsibly, in coordination with our partners, for stability and security. Respect for rights and the protection of civilians remain fundamental priorities,’ President Nicusor Dan added in his message.

The spokesperson for the MAE, Andrei Tarnea, advised Romanian citizens in Middle Eastern countries to remain in places where they are safe and to follow the instructions received from the authorities of their countries of residence, given that the situation in the region remains tense.

‘The situation in the Middle East remains tense. Air strikes involving drones and missiles are continuing in several countries in the region. Against this backdrop, the airspace of multiple Middle Eastern countries remains closed and commercial flights are not operating. As a result, a number of Romanian citizens are currently unable to travel either back to Romania or onwards to those countries. As seen in all previous similar circumstances, the priority is to ensure the safety of Romanian citizens caught up in these events. This means that, at this time, the priority is for them to remain in the places where they are safe and to follow the instructions they receive from the authorities of their countries of residence regarding their safety,’ Andrei Tarnea told Digi 24 private television broadcaster on Sunday.

The MAE official stressed that it is extremely important for Romanians in these countries to register their presence by contacting Romania’s consulates, providing telephone numbers, contact details, and their current location. According to him, around 1,000 Romanian citizens have contacted these diplomatic missions and consular offices since the crisis situation began on Saturday morning.

On Saturday, the MAE announced that it had raised the travel alert level to 6 out of 9 – Avoid non-essential travel – for the following states: Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

The MAE reiterated that for the Israel the alert level remains at 8 out of 9 – Avoid all travel – and for Iran it is 9 out of 9 – Leave the country immediately!

AGERPRES