PNL's Ciuca calls for European solidarity to suporting Ukraine in front of Russian aggression

The National Liberal Party chairman, Prime minister Nicolae Ciuca on Wednesday, in his speech at the congress of the European People's Party, launched a call for solidarity among European countries to support Ukraine in front of the Russian aggression, stressing that Romania has helped and continues to help Ukrainian refugees, Agerpres reports.

''Dear colleagues, the moment we are living is going to redefine our current history and the way we prepare for the future. The invasion of Ukraine is a war against all the values of the EPP, it is a war against our common European principles and values: freedom, democracy, fundamental rights, the rule of law. I'd like to thank the EPP for taking a clear stance against the Russian invasion in Ukraine. It is our duty to support Ukraine with everything that we can. Thanks for the strong proposal that our Commission's President put forward and our President of the European Parliament advocated for, we managed to take such an unprecedented action against Russia and in support of Ukraine. We can be proud of what we achieved as a political family during these recent months. Now it is equally important to continue. We have to stay united as European Union and also as EPP," the liberal leader told the EPP delegates present at the statutory congress in Rotterdam.

He recalled that Romania has mobilized to help the more than 1.1 million Ukrainian refugees who have crossed the border into our country since the beginning of the war.

''We provided shelter, security and everything that we could. More than 85,000 people from Ukraine are still in Romania and are well taken care of, including more than 30,000 Ukrainian children and teenagers which are attending Romanian schools," Ciuca added.

On the other hand, the PNL president pronounced himself for granting the status of candidate for accession to the EU for the Republic of Moldova

Romania has been a solid support of the sanctioning measures of the criminal behaviour of Russia. We will continue to be next to Ukraine and the Ukrainians. In addition, we must be united in our support for the Republic of Moldova. The Republic of Moldova has adopted a path of ambitious reforms. The pro-EU president of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu, who belongs to our political party, the government and the clear majority in the parliament work together to implement the reforms, acting in a European spirit and welcoming the largest number of refugees reported to the country's population. That is why we insist for the granting to the Republic of Moldova of the EU candidate statute, Nicolae Ciuca stressed.

The leader and other members of the PNL leadership participate in the EPP statutory congress in which the new leadership of the pan-European party is elected for the next three years. German Manfred Weber became the new president of the EPP on Tuesday evening, and on Wednesday the leadership is completed with the 10 vice-presidents, the secretary-general and the treasurer.