ForMin Aurescu's strong advice to Romanian citizens in Israel: Be extremely vigilant, avoid conflict-affected areas

Foreign Affairs Minister Bogdan Aurescu recommends Romanian citizens in Israel to be "extremely vigilant, prudent and avoid the areas under a state of emergency, as well as those affected by the conflict". "My message to the Romanian citizens - and we will also issue a specific travel warning during the day - is to be extremely vigilant, prudent, to avoid areas under a state of emergency (there are already certain areas in Israel under this regime), avoid unnecessary travel to the region, to these areas affected by conflict and, if possible, to leave those areas, "Aurescu said on Wednesday at the Palace of Parliament, when asked about this topic. He added that steps to defuse the situation and prevent the loss of human lives are essential. "We have seen that there have already been casualties and we deeply regret the loss of lives on both the Israeli and Palestinian side these days. We want such casualties to be avoided, it is very important that we work towards a de-escalation of this situation and in the next period we want to see concrete efforts to defuse tensions," the Foreign Minister underlined, adding that so far there has been no request for consular assistance from any Romanian citizen there. "According to available data, there are between 320 and 350 Romanian citizens in the Gaza Strip, persons with dual citizenship included," Romania's top diplomat said. In a different thread, Aurescu said he doesn't want to speculate on future developments, but stressed that Romania wants rocket barrages on civilian targets in Israel to stop. "I wouldn't like to speculate on future developments, because they do not depend on Romania, but on the actions of the two parties. However, from Romania's point of view, it is very important for the missile strikes on populated civilian areas in Israel to stop, because they trigger the legitimate response of the State of Israel. We will see how things evolve further. If there are significant developments, we will obviously adapt our action, including in terms of possible assistance to the Romanian citizens in the area," the Foreign Minister pointed out. The Foreign Affairs Ministry announced today the creation, following Minister Bogdan Aurescu's order, of a Task Force which urgently convened for the "permanent monitoring and assessment of the situation in Israel", as well as for identifying the main directions of action to support Romanian citizens and their families in the conflict-affected area. The Foreign Ministry said that it is closely following developments in Israel and strongly condemns the rocket barrages launched from the Gaza Strip at civilian areas in Israel. Bogdan Aurescu participated today in the conference on Romania and NATO's Ballistic Missile Defense System - a Transatlantic Strategic Contribution to Euro-Atlantic Security, an event organized by the Senate's Defense Committee in partnership with the Foreign Affairs Ministry and the National Defense Ministry. AGERPRES (RO - author: Sorinel Penes, editor: Florin Marin; EN - editor: Simona Klodnischi)