5-9 April 2022, Romania – PAM President, Hon. Gennaro Migliore, Italy, led an official mission to Romania to consult with national and regional authorities. The mission included high-level meetings in Bucharest and Tulcea.
On day one and two, PAM President met with the President of the Tulcea Country Council, Mr. Horia Teodorescu; the Vice President of the Chamber of Commerce, Ion Balan; and with representatives of ACOR, ISRAAID, and SOA, three NGOs that, in cooperation with local authorities, established a very effective logistic hub to forward humanitarian aid to Izmail, Odessa, Zaporitza, Mikolaiv and Kherson. regions, in particular supplies of food and medicines. At the border, President Migliore also met with French Sen. Marie-Arlette Carlotti, the PAM Rapporteur on Migrations, who was in the area with a national delegation. Over the last weeks, around 150 trucks have left the hub from Tulcea to Odessa. The efficiency of the hub is remarkable to such an extent that processing of incoming/outgoing aid takes less than a day, and that, as an example, the French Civil Protection decided to triple its aid through that channel.
On day three, PAM President met with the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies of Romania, Hon. Marcel Ciolacu, with the President of the Legislative Council, Hon. Florin Iordache, and with Dr. Raed Arafat, the State Secretary of Emergency Operations
Discussions focused on the current impact of Russian aggression against Ukraine, its security and humanitarian dimensions and related threats, the risks for Moldova, the ongoing refugee flow and worst-case scenarios, including the preparedness measure being implemented, the direct implications for food and energy security in the Euro-Mediterranean and Gulf regions.
PAM President expressed deep appreciation for the role played by Romania under extreme pressure and with impressive results, and for its standing for European values, and to help people in need.
PAM is committed to support the Romanian authorities, and will organize a high-level meeting in Bucharest, tentatively next September, in partnership with the Romanian Parliament and international political and security organizations, on Regional Peace, Security and Stability.//