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93 Romanian citizens and family members evacuated from the Gaza Strip arrived in Romania
Romania's Foreign Ministry (MAE) said on Thursday that it will continue its dialogue with the Israeli and Egyptian authorities in order to facilitate the evacuation of the other Romanian citizens and family members in the Gaza Strip, depending on the on the ground developments and the agreement of the parties involved.
MAE says that on Wednesday evening, 93 Romanian citizens and family members evacuated from the Gaza Strip arrived in Romania.
"Following complex efforts of the Inter-institutional Task Force, through the Romanian Embassy in Cairo and the Romanian Representative Office in Ramallah, 93 Romanian citizens and their family members evacuated from the Gaza Strip were flown to Romania on a special TAROM flight, aboard a C-130 Hercules aircraft belonging to the Romanian Air Force. Included on two flights were 36 citizens of Moldova evacuated from the Gaza Strip by the diplomatic mission of Moldova," according to MAE.
The 93 Romanian citizens and family members arrived in Egypt through the Rafah border crossing on the evening of November 7, being later picked up by officials of the Romanian Embassy in Egypt and accompanied to Cairo by a mobile team of the MAE task force and embarked to Romania.
MAE reported on Tuesday that the first group of 93 Romanian citizens and their family members have left the Gaza Strip through the Rafah border crossing in Egypt and are on Egyptian soil on their way to Cairo.
"The 93 Romanian citizens and their families were picked up from the Rafah border crossing by officials of the Romanian Embassy in Egypt and are accompanied to Cairo by a mobile team of the Rapid Reaction Unit with the task force of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs," according to a MAE press statement released on Tuesday night.
According to the source, the Romanian Representative Office in Ramallah remains in permanent contact with the Romanian citizens and their family members who have requested evacuation from the Gaza Strip.
Moreover, the Inter-institutional Crisis Cell, through Romania's diplomatic missions in Cairo and Tel Aviv, continues the dialogue with the Egyptian and Israeli authorities until the end of the operations.
Odobescu and Romania's Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu were on board the TAROM aircraft meeting the evacuees in Cairo.
Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said on Wednesday evening, on his return from Egypt, that 129 Romanian citizens have been recovered from the Gaza Strip and that there are still a hundred requests from Romanians who want to come to the country with their families.
"I believe that both myself and the Minister (of Foreign Affairs - editor's note) have made a gesture of normality today and, more than that, we have sent a very clear signal that the Romanian state does not leave any Romanian behind. Today, 129 Romanians were recovered, both Romanians with Romanian citizenship, from Romania, and Romanians from the Republic of Moldova. The next aircraft is expected to land within the hour. There is already a list of 51 Romanians. There have been more requests, more than a hundred requests, to come to Romania with their families in the next period. I would like to thank first of all the Minister and her team at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Romanian state institutions involved in this recovery action for Romanians in the Gaza Strip. Throughout this period there has been direct cooperation between the Romanian Government and the President of Romania," said the Prime Minister.
On Tuesday, Moldovan President Maia Sandu informed that 36 Moldovan citizens from the Gaza Strip had been evacuated and would be transported from Cairo to Bucharest. Afterwards, they would be picked up by a bus provided by the Moldovan authorities.
(Photo:www.gov.ro)