Foreign Minister calls for Romania’s continued support for Vietnamese evacuating from Ukraine

Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son (L) held phone talks with his Romanian counterpart Bogdan Aurescu on March 7. (Source: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) – Minister ofForeign Affairs Bui Thanh Son talked over the phone with his Romaniancounterpart Bogdan Aurescu on March 7, asking for continued support for theVietnamese people and their families evacuating from Ukraine.

Vietnamattaches importance to and wishes to further intensify the over-70-yearfriendship between the two countries, the minister stressed.

He highly valued the recent stridesin bilateral cooperation and once against thanked Romania, the first EU memberto donate 300,000 doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to Vietnam in July2021.

He also appreciated the RomanianGovernment’s humanitarian aid and arrangement of accommodation and health carefor Vietnamese people and their families moving from Ukraine over the past days.

The first flight organised by theVietnamese Government to repatriate about 300 Vietnamese people and theirfamilies evacuating from Ukraine in Romania will arrive in Vietnam on March 8,Son noted, asking Romanian authorities to help with procedures for the flightand create favourable conditions for the Vietnamese to return to theirhomeland.

For his part, Minister Aurescuaffirmed relevant agencies of his country have been working closely with theVietnamese Embassy and associations in Romania to carry out citizen protection measuresfor the Vietnamese people and their families from Ukraine, and facilitateprocedures for the repatriation flight.

Vietnamese people evacuating from Ukraine wait to handle boarding procedures at Henri Coandă International Airport in Bucharest, Romania, on March 7 evening. (Photo: VNA)

The two officials also discussedmeasures for expanding and enhancing their countries’ long-standing friendship,including promoting high-level mutual visits and all-level meetings;maintaining the political consultation and the joint committee for economic, trade,and investment cooperation; cementing ties in traditional fields like education-training, culture, and tourism; and tightening links in potential areas suchas labour and agriculture.

On this occasion, Minister Son invitedhis Romanian counterpart to visit Vietnam in the near future to discussbilateral and international issues of common concern. Minister Aurescu acceptedthe invitation with pleasure.

The first flight repatriating thoseevacuating from Ukraine departed Henri Coandă International Airport in theRomanian capital at 7:35pm on March 7 (Bucharest time). It is scheduled toarrive at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi at 11:30am on March 8 (Hanoitime).

The flight, operated by VietnamAirlines, is carrying 287 passengers, including 71 children under 12.

The entire staff of the VietnameseEmbassy and many members of Vietnamese associations in Romania had been presentat Henri Coandă International Airport early to help the passengers handleboarding procedures./.

VNA