Foreign Affairs Ministry on Romanians stranded in Cancun airport: It's mandatory that decisions aren't arbitrary

The Romanian authorities do not dispute the sovereign right of the United Mexican States regarding the decision to grant the right of entry into their territory, but it is mandatory that these decisions are not arbitrary, but taken on the basis of individual assessments, on a case-by-case basis and do not generate offensive situations, says a release of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE), in the context where 50 Romanians are stranded at the airport of the Mexican city of Cancun. In this case, the MAE adds, the Romanian side asked the Mexican side "to ensure a transparent and predictable approach to the regime of foreign tourists in Mexico, especially in the current pandemic context, otherwise there is a risk that such cases will induce the idea of a discriminatory approach". The Romanian ministry states that 50 Romanian citizens are still in Cancun airport, waiting for return flights, and a team appointed by the honorary consul of Romania in this city has traveled to the airport to provide them with food and water. The supplies have been taken over by the officials of the airport and will be distributed to the Romanian citizens. The MAE release comes in the context of the multiple reports in recent days regarding the refusal of entry into the United Mexican States of several Romanian nationals who were traveling for tourist purposes, a situation in which the Ministry of Foreign Affairs continued diplomatic efforts with the Mexican authorities. Earlier on Tuesday, the MAE leadership had a video conference call with the United Mexican States Ambassador in Bucharest, Jose Guillermo Ordorica Robles. During the dialogue, the Romanian side "expressed concern and dissatisfaction with the situations generated by the decisions of the Mexican authorities regarding the access of the Romanian tourists to Mexico and the treatment to which Romanian citizens are subjected upon entry into the territory of this state", the source says. The ministry requested immediate clarification of the reasons for the Mexican authorities' decisions not to allow entry into Mexican territory and the necessary measures to be taken, as a matter of urgency, so that the rights of the Romanian citizens are observed, including from the perspective of the conditions ensured during the procedures carried out at the airport. The MAE emphasizes the importance of thorough information prior to traveling abroad, including by consulting the information available on the MAE website, at the Sections Travel Tips and Alerts and Travel Alerts in the COVID-19 context.AGERPRES(RO - author: Oana Ghita, editor: Florin Marin; EN - author: Maria Voican, editor: Simona Klodnischi)