Two Romanians repatriated from Syria via Iraq

Two Romanian nationals have been repatriated from Syria via Iraq, according to the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE). "After complex steps taken at the level of the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on October 27, 2019, the specific procedures for repatriation from the Syrian Arab Republic, through the Republic of Iraq, of two Romanian nationals were completed. The repatriation was carried out with support from the Erbil Consular Office, the Romanian Embassy in Baghdad, in coordination with the task force of the Consular Department," MAE said in a press statement released on Tuesday evening. The Romanian Embassy in Iraq, through the Erbil Consular Office, provided consular assistance both for the transfer of Romanian citizens from Syria and in the actions taken with the Iraqi authorities. The repatriation is part of constant requests for assistance and consular protection granted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to Romanian citizens in special situations via the diplomatic missions and consular offices of the countries with major security risks. MAE says that since the beginning of the evacuation operations in Syria in 2011, through the direct intervention of the Romanian Embassy in Damascus, other diplomatic missions and under the coordination of the task force of MAE, 787 Romanian nationals and and family members have been repatriated. Currently, the Embassy of Romania in Damascus provides consular assistance and protection, including to nationals of Australia, Canada, France, Moldova and Portugal in Syria, as well as to citizens of other countries, based on specific requests. MAE says a travel warning for Syria is still posted on the institution's website, which contains the maximum alert level, "Major danger - leave area or country immediately"! - www.mae.ro/travel-alerts/7955. MAE also reiterates the firm recommendations to Romanian citizens in conflict zones to leave the area and to contact Romania's diplomatic missions to register their presence in the region, so that they can benefit from assistance and consular protection and also to check the information provided by the application "Travel safely" (www.mae.ro/app_cs), which can be downloaded on any smartphone. AGERPRES (RO - author: Antonia Nita, editor: Marius Fratila; EN - author: Corneliu-Aurelian Colceriu, editor: Adina Panaitescu)