President Nicușor Dan stated, after the CSAT meeting convened following the incident in Galați, that Romanian authorities are treating the situation as a major security issue and are continuing coordination with NATO allies in the context of the risks posed by Russia’s war against Ukraine.
The head of state also mentioned that Romania is strengthening its air defense capabilities through joint programs with allies and that the CSAT meeting also discussed civil defense measures and protection of the population in areas that could be affected by similar incidents.
Among these, within the SAFE program, we have an important component dedicated to anti-aircraft capabilities, and contracts are being signed these days.
Following the CSAT meeting, Romania also sent a diplomatic signal to Moscow by declaring the Russian consul in Constanța persona non grata. Additionally, the consulate was ordered to close.
"We had a serious incident last night, in which two Romanian citizens were injured, and the entire responsibility for this incident lies with Russia, a country that has been waging an aggressive war against Ukraine for over four years. In light of this situation, the Consul General of the Russian Federation in Constanța has been declared persona non grata, and the Consulate General of the Russian Federation in Constanța will be closed," the president announced.
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The head of state thanked the partners for their solidarity, shown both individually and within multilateral frameworks, partners from the European Union, and NATO.
Spotmedia presented, in LIVE TEXT format, the most important statements of President Nicușor Dan:
- The entire responsibility for this incident lies with Russia
- In light of this situation, the Russian Consul General in Constanța was declared persona non grata. The Consulate General of the Russian Federation in Constanța will close
- We had a Russian Geran-2 drone, departed from Russia, we know the trajectory, we know how it entered Romania
- I want to thank the partners from the EU and NATO for their solidarity. This proves that there is Euro-Atlantic solidarity and unity
- I want to inform you that within SAFE, we have an important component dedicated to aerial capabilities to respond to such events
- We have a partnership with Ukraine for drone production
- We have a joint mechanism with the United States and the United Kingdom for testing and accelerating drone production
- Until these equipment are delivered, we have agreements with partners for equipment to be present in Romania
- We also discussed civil defense in the CSAT meeting. The reaction last night was a swift one. The Minister of Internal Affairs presented the measures that have already been taken throughout the potentially affected area.
The CSAT meeting lasted nearly three hours, and Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan was not present, as he was on an official visit to the Republic of Moldova.
The head of state described the incident as the "most serious" to have affected Romania's territory since the beginning of Russia's war against Ukraine and announced that authorities will take proportional measures against Moscow.
He added that Romania will not accept the effects of the war in Ukraine to impact its citizens and reaffirmed support for Kiev.