MAE announces the repatriation of 125 Romanians who were aboard several cruise ships

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) announced on Sunday the return to the country of 125 Romanian citizens who were on cruise ships abroad. In a press release sent on Sunday to AGERPRES, MAE informs that, on Saturday evening, 45 Romanian citizens and a citizen of the Kingdom of Thailand, a family member of a Romanian citizen, returned to the country. Citizens worked as sailors on several cruise ships in the harbor of Manila, Philippines. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, through the Romanian Embassies in Manila and Belgrade, has taken the necessary steps both with the employing company and with the Philippine and Serbian authorities to allow the disembarkation and transit of Romanian citizens for repatriation, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The Romanian citizens returned to the country with two charter flights contracted by the company, on the route Manila-Belgrade, Belgrade-Bucharest. The same flights facilitated the repatriation of 20 Moldovan citizens, who continued their journey from Bucharest to their destination. The MAE also informed that, on Sunday morning, another 80 Romanian citizens returned to the country, who were part of the crews on cruise ships located in Puerto Vallarta, United Mexican States. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, through the General Consular Office of Romania in Los Angeles, the Romanian Embassy in Washington, the Romanian Embassy in Mexico City and the Romanian Embassy in Belgrade, has made constant efforts with the American, Mexican and Serbian authorities to facilitate the disembarkation, transit and repatriation of the Romanian citizens, according to the same source. The Romanian citizens returned to the country through two charter flights contracted by the employing company, on the route Puerto Vallarta-Belgrade, Belgrade-Bucharest. These flights also facilitated the repatriation of 11 citizens of the Republic of Moldova, who continued their journey from Bucharest to their destination, and four foreign citizens who resident in Romania also returned to the country - two Mexican citizens, one Indian citizen and one British citizen. These were all steps taken to facilitate the return to the country of Romanian citizens who were temporarily traveling abroad and who have been affected by the measures meant to protect people's health and by the traveling restrictions adopted in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, states the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. AGERPRES (RO - author: Alina Novaceanu, editor: Antonia Nita; EN - author: Cristina Zaharia)