Melescanu on armed attack in Erbil: We have no element according to which Romanians were affected

Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu said on Wednesday that there are no indications that Romanian citizens were affected by the attack in Erbil, Iraq, in which three people died, including the Turkish vice-consul. Melescanu's statement on Antena 3 private television broadcaster comes in the context in which the Consular Office of Romania at Erbil is in the same building as the Turkish Consulate. In fact, the attack took place in the vicinity of the building. "Clearly, the target was the Turkish Consulate and the Turkish Consul. We will see to what extent someone assumes this attack and what will be the outcomes of such an action," the foreign minister pointed out, saying that additional security measures had been required. He said that three diplomats worked at the Consular Office of Romania. "Fortunately, we do not have yet any element according to which Romanian citizens were affected by this attack," he said. Melescanu added that "the attack itself is a very alarming signal about the security situation in this area." "This is an area mostly inhabited by the Kurdish population, an area that has been quite peaceful from the point of view of attacks, and now, even after the establishment of a new government in Iraq, when things seemed to go towards positive development, such an event creates a lot of concerns, including for us (...). It is about an imbalance of the area, of the city and, from our point of view, is an element of concern, especially since it is very close to our consulate," Teodor Melescanu explained. At least one armed man broke into a restaurant in Erbil, Iraq, on Wednesday, and shot dead three people, including the Turkish vice-consul, a police officer told AFP. AGERPRES (RO - author: Oana Ghita, editor: Florin Marin; EN - author: Bogdan Gabaroi; editor: Adina Panaitescu)