The head of the Department For Emergency Situations (DSU), Raed Arafat (photo), announced that a TAROM plane will be sent to bring back the Romanian citizens that are trapped in South Africa, after several flights were canceled.
“Earlier, the Decision of the National Committee for Emergency Situations (CNSU) was approved. Through the Decision there were countries added that were mentioned yesterday (Saturday, ed. n) and Malawi, and also, it was established that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, through DSU and the Ministry of Transportation, that they will work together for repatriating the Romanian citizens that cannot get back to Romania because of the interference with air transportation in that area, several flights being canceled and more of them being full, that are reaching Europe. We started to undertake measures along with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Transportation, through Tarom, for sending a plane, following the Government’s decision, that will leave from Bucharest – Mombasa – Pretoria and will bring the Romanian citizens back”, Arafat said at Victoria Palace on Sunday.
According to him, through the European civil protection mechanism, assistance will be granted to other European citizens as well.
At the start of the Government session, PM Nicolae Ciuca announced that a Tarom aircraft will fly to Pretoria to recover the Romanian citizens trapped in South Africa, and also highlighted that it is the Government’s duty to take such decisions for its citizens.
Cancelling flights to the European Union is taking place because of a discovery of a new variant of coronavirus in South Africa.
MAE: Romanian citizens still in South Africa, that wish to repatriate, to announce intention
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is calling upon all Romanian citizens that are still in South Africa, that want to leave the country and have yet to notify their intention to repatriate, to do so as soon as possible, the Romanian embassy in Pretoria and the General Consulate of Romania in Cape Town, managing at this time, the situation of 39 Romanian citizens (tourists and members of a sport delegation), whose flights were canceled by airlines where they had reservations.
“The Romanian embassy in Pretoria and the General Consulate of Romania in Cape Town are currently managing the situation of 39 Romanian citizens (tourists and members of a sports delegation) whose flights were canceled by the airlines where they had reservations. Thus, from the situation on Saturday, November 27, when MAE recoded 36 Romanian citizens, MAE informs that a Romanian citizen managed to leave South Africa via line flying, and another 4 Romanian citizens notified their presence at the Romanian embassy and requested consular support. Furthermore, adding to the 39 Romanian citizens whom we are offering assistance to, another 7 Romanian citizens that requested consular assistance and the two diplomatic missions managed to book other flights towards Europe and have already left or they are scheduled to leave today”, MAE specifies on Sunday, in a press release regarding the situation of the Romanian citizens who are temporarily trapped in South Africa, as a result of flights being canceled by the European Union after identifying a new variant of coronavirus in this country.
MAE mentions that representatives of diplomatic and consular missions in Romania and South Africa were and are in permanent contact with the Romanian citizens that requested consular support and are currently acting in close coordination with the other competent institutions, in order to grant full support for the smooth running of the repatriation operations of Romanian citizens, by organizing a special flight in the immediate period, in accordance with the decisions recently adopted within the The National Committee for Emergency Situations (CNSU).
Photo: www.gov.ro
