Arafat announces 400,000 accomodations for refugees, but few request asylum

The head of the Department for Emergency Situations (DSU) Raed Arafat announced that 400,000 accommodations could be set up for refugees, nationwide, but at this time few of those that come from Ukraine request asylum in our country, Agerpres reports.

"We have places (...) that are, should I say, entered into a database, that exceed 400,000 accommodations, nationwide, not only in the border area. There are also spots available in hotels, in dorms, gyms and so on. We will see what the flow will be and it will adapt for everyone to receive anyone. (...) But, what is more important to say, from all those that arrive, that few request asylum at this moment. The rest move onward or go to their relatives, or have already solved their accommodations. So, at this moment, there are few that enter that request asylum and we must ensure long-term accommodations," Arafat declared on Sunday, at Isaccea.

He appreciated the way in which the Ukrainian refugees' reception was organized in the county of Tulcea.

"Here, at Isaccea, the difference in other areas is that they come in stages, because they depend on the arrival of the ferry. (...) Here, from what I have seen, organizing this was well done, there are tents inside the border crossing point (...) for keeping women, children, until identification is processed and there are other tents where almost 100 people are waiting for their documents to be processed by The General Inspectorate for Immigration (IGI), they are asylum seekers. (...) Outside the border crossing point, there is a point for establishing accommodations," the DSU head specified.

A second camp will also be installed in Isaccea for temporary sheltering of refugees.

"The inflow, unfortunately, will likely get larger. (...) An additional camp was sent with tents from Constanta, which will arrive and tents will be installed wherever they need to be," Raed Arafat also said.