Romania to activate its Coalition for Refugee Integration

Romania's Council for National Defence (CSAT) decided on Wednesday to activate the Interministerial Committee of the country's National Coalition for Refugee Integration, tasking the Interior Ministry with assessing the capacity to take in refugees/ asylum seekers and the possibility of expanding it, agerpres reports.

"In the short and medium term, Romania will continue to support, including through humanitarian and development assistance funds, projects that directly help improve the situation of Afghan nationals in Afghanistan and Afghan refugees. An integrated approach to migration is needed related to developments in Afghanistan through effective interinstitutional collaboration. That is why CSAT has decided to activate the Interministerial Committee of the National Coalition for Refugee Integration," according to a press statement released by the Presidential Administration.

Also, collaboration with the relevant European institutions will be intensified, first of all with FRONTEX, as well as with the neighbouring countries that could be targeted, together with Romania, by potential migration waves from Afghanistan.

"CSAT concluded that urgent changes are needed to the normative framework of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in order to complete resources for response to the situations on the ground, so that Romania can effectively provide assistance with the takeover and relocation of Afghan nationals. The level of Romania's involvement in the solidarity effort of the international refugee reception community was another topic analysed by CSAT, and the start of necessary preparations was ordered," reads the statement.

The developments in Afghanistan are in a "constant flux," and Romania, "in full coordination with its international partners", will pursue the adoption and implementation of the best options to respond to the political, security and humanitarian challenges generated by the Afghan crisis.

"To Romania, the regime change in Afghanistan may have security consequences due to the dangers posed by extremism, terrorism, the export of instability in the region, drugs and arms trafficking, illegal migration, all of which must be countered. Consequently, Romania will take the necessary measures and remain committed to defending the national interests of its nationals and will equally join, in solidarity, together with its partners and allies, in the international effort to overcome the crisis," the document also reads.