Romanians stranded at Cancun airport, bar five, allowed access to Mexico

The Romanian nationals recently stranded at the Cancun airport in Mexico were allowed access to Mexico, bar five of them, due to the existence of an individual security alert, who will return to Romania on Thursday, according to the Romanian Foreign Ministry (MAE). According to MAE, all Romanian nationals were re-assessed individually regarding their entry into Mexico. The Charge d'Affaires at the Romanian Embassy in Mexico was at the airport during the proceedings and provided assistance to those in need of information, support for translation and guidance for filling forms. He was also assisted by the honorary consul of Romania in Cancun. Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu announced on Wednesday that 114 Romanians were stranded at the airport in the Mexican city. On Wednesday evening, he had a telephone conversation with his Mexican counterpart. "As a result of the telephone conversation on the evening of February 3 this year between the Minister of Foreign Affairs Bogdan Aurescu and his Mexican counterpart, Mexican officials urgently remedied the situation of the Romanian citizens stranded at the international airport in Cancun. Also the Mexican minister of foreign affairs sent to the Romanian counterpart, on behalf of the government of his country, regrets for the negative impact produced by the actions of the Mexican authorities," reads a MAE press statement. According to it, "as a result of the steps taken especially during the telephone conversation of Minister Aurescu with his Mexican counterpart, when the Romanian side underlined that the general security alerts targeting Romanian nationals are inadmissible, the Mexican authorities confirmed that the possible security alert measures that may affect the right of foreign nationals to enter Mexico must always be individual, and any decisions to deny access to Mexico must be based on individual, case-by-case and non-discriminatory assessments." Romania and Mexico will maintain close contact moving forward to prevent similar problems. The interim charge d'affaires of the Romanian Embassy in Mexico will remain in Cancun for the next few days to make sure that the Romanians who have been denied the right to entry Mexico leave the country and to stay in touch with local authorities. MAE reiterates its recommendation to Romanian nationals to exercise caution when deciding to travel for tourism purposes at this time, especially to destinations that are affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. It says that the areas of Mexico City and Cancun are classified as areas with high epidemiological risk - Mexico City is considered a red area, and Cancun - an orange area. Romanian nationals can request consular assistance by calling the Romanian Embassy in Mexico City: 00 52 55 5280 0447 and 00 52 55 5280 1869, with the calls being redirected to the Centre for Contact and Support of Romanian Citizens Abroad (CCSCRS) and taken over by call centre operators 24/7. Also, Romanian nationals facing a difficult, special situation, of an emergency nature, can call the emergency line of the diplomatic mission in Mexico City: 00 52 55 38 833 072. AGERPRES (RO - author: Oana Ghita, editor: Claudia Stanescu; EN - author: Corneliu-Aurelian Colceriu, editor: Adina Panaitescu)