On May 28, Chernivtsi hosted political consultations at the level of Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Vasyl Bodnar and State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania Dănuţ Neculăescu.

The parties noted the positive dynamics of relations between Ukraine and Romania in the context of the recent visit of Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba to Bucharest and a telephone conversation between President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Romanian President Klaus Johannes. Vasyl Bodnar invited Dănuţ Neculăescu to visit Kyiv to continue the political dialogue.

The diplomats discussed the whole range of topical issues of bilateral relations. Following the talks, they identified the main priorities, the implementation of which will help to strengthen the partnership between the two countries. These include the forthcoming meetings of the Joint Ukrainian-Romanian Intergovernmental Commission on Ensuring the Rights of Persons Belonging to National Minorities, the Joint Intergovernmental Commission on Economic, Industrial, Scientific and Technical Cooperation, and consultations on the development of a common cross-border infrastructure.

The Deputy Minister and the State Secretary paid special attention to the current security situation in the Black Sea region in the context of the ongoing Russian aggression against Ukraine and the temporary occupation of Crimea. The Romanian side reaffirmed its support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our state, as well as for Ukraine's European and Euro-Atlantic integration aspirations.

Vasyl Bodnar and Dănuţ Neculăescu held a joint meeting with representatives of the Romanian community of Chernivtsi region on the sidelines of bilateral events in Chernivtsi. There was a constructive exchange of views on the current needs of the Romanian community in Ukraine and the Ukrainian community in Romania. Following the discussion, a number of topics were identified for discussion at the next meeting of the Joint Intergovernmental Commission on Ensuring the Rights of Persons Belonging to National Minorities. It was also agreed to hold bilateral consultations at the level of the leadership of the Ministries of Education of the two countries in the near future in order to complete work on the draft inter-ministerial protocol on cooperation in the field of education and its signing.

A separate event was Romania's transfer of humanitarian aid to Ukraine (through NATO mechanisms) to counter the spread of COVID-19. These are protective equipment for medical staff - masks, suits, shields, as well as disinfectants. The total cost of assistance is 1 million 244 thousand euros.

Speaking at the ceremony of handing over humanitarian aid, Vasyl Bodnar stressed that this aid is a significant gesture of solidarity of the country, which is not only a neighbor of Ukraine, but also an important member of the European Union and NATO.

"I am glad that the current ceremony is taking place in Chernivtsi - a multicultural European city. I believe that the current event starts a new stage in the development of strong bilateral relations between Ukraine and Romania", - Vasyl Bodnar said.