Joint Statement of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Romania and Canada

March 7, 2022 – Bucharest, Romania – Global Affairs Canada

Romania’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Bogdan Aurescu, and the Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today issued a joint statement:

“We met today in Bucharest, in the context of the continuous large-scale military aggression by Russia against the territorial integrity, sovereignty, and independence of Ukraine. Our meeting today follows the sustained dialogue we had over the phone and in person, in the margins of the Security Conference in Munich, as well as during the NATO Foreign Ministers meeting and the EU Foreign Affairs Council of March 4.

“On this occasion, we reiterate our determination to maintain a close contact and coordinate within the larger community of like-minded Allies and partners, united by the will to uphold the rules-based international order, which is essential to maintaining world peace and security and to protecting democracy and freedom. Romania and Canada agree that strengthened alliances and partnerships are crucial to meeting current and future challenges and will coordinate efforts to reinforce the transatlantic relationship, across all formats of cooperation.

“Russia’s invasion is inflicting an enormous toll on the Ukrainian people. We deplore the large numbers of Ukrainians who have already died and have been wounded. Millions more suffer deprivation across Ukraine, as critical infrastructure is destroyed. More than a million refugees so far have fled Ukraine to neighboring countries, including to Romania.  We agreed that the suffering inflicted on the people who are forced to leave their homes needs to be addressed with the highest priority.

“Our discussions focused on the efforts deployed by the Government of Romania to ensure that all refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine and crossing the border into Romania, including through the Republic of Moldova, are receiving proper assistance. In this respect, we agreed to work together in ensuring that needs are matched by resources and to coordinate assistance efforts. We both commended the efforts made by the Republic of Moldova and acknowledged the need to further support its authorities in coping with overlapping crises and the growing humanitarian burden. We agreed that we need to support the resilience of the Republic of Moldova, including on energy dimension, as well as the resilience of all other Eastern Partners and the Western Balkans countries.

“We discussed the importance of further strengthening NATO’s deterrence and defence posture and the need to consolidate its Eastern Flank, especially at the Black Sea, including by deploying allied troops and through the creation of a NATO Battlegroup in Romania. Romania is thankful to Canada for all contributions made so far for the security of Romania and of the wider Black Sea region.

“We will continue to work together alongside our partners and allies to consult and coordinate on possible further sanctions against Russia and Belarus. 

“As OSCE participating states, we joined efforts to invoke the OSCE’s Moscow Mechanism in order to establish a fact-finding mission of experts to address the human rights and humanitarian impacts of Russia’s aggression of Ukraine, including potential war crimes and crimes against humanity.

“We also worked together with other member state parties to the Rome Statute of International Criminal Court to refer the situation in Ukraine to the ICC in order for alleged crimes of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity committed on the territory of Ukraine to be investigated without delay.

“Romania and Canada cooperate closely as NATO Allies, within the UN and OSCE, and as members of the International Organization of La Francophonie.

“We decided to pursue the work already engaged in order to enhance the cooperation between the Romanian and Canadian governments on various areas, beginning with the civil nuclear energy sector, which remains essential to ensuring energy security and the decarbonisation of the economy.

“We look forward to further enhancing our bilateral relationship, of strategic importance, in this year 2022, which marks the 55th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations between Romania and Canada. We agreed to work on a Declaration of Consolidated Partnership between Romania and Canada and a Roadmap for our bilateral relationship, as a strong expression of our commitment to strengthen and expand the close links between our countries.”