Union Minister for Civil Aviation, Jyotiraditya M. Scindia met Romanian Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca in Romania on Wednesday and thanked the latter for facilitating the safe evacuation of Indian citizens amid heightened tensions in Ukraine.
Taking to Twitter, Scindia said, "Met the Hon'ble Prime Minister of Romania, Mr Nicolae Ciuca to thank the government for facilitating entry and ensuring the safety of our citizens amid the grim situation at the Ukrainian borders."
Furthermore, the Union Minister said that the Ciuca has assured his continued support in the evacuation process. Both sides shared mutual interests in expanding bilateral trade.
"I am happy to report that His Excellency has assured his continued support to our students crossing the Romanian borders, and reiterated the friendly relations between our countries since the last 74 years. We also shared mutual interest in expanding bilateral trade given the huge economic potential & presence of Indian businesses in Romania," he tweeted.
With Operation Ganga being carried out on a war-footing basis, Scindia on Wednesday interacted with Indian students at Henri Coanda International Airport in Bucharest in Romania.The Union Minister met everyone with warmth and praised them for their bravery and resilience. He assured each one of them that they will be flying home today.
While speaking to the Indians at the airport today, the minister said that those still stuck at Romanian borders or coming to the borders will no longer be made to travel to Romania's capital to catch the flight.
He said he will arrange for those students to be sent home directly from there. Students seemed happy to see him and greeted him and shared any problems they had with him.
On February 28, Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a high-level meeting to review the ongoing efforts under Operation Ganga to bring back Indians stranded in Ukraine.
The Prime Minister said that the entire government machinery is working round the clock to ensure that all Indian nationals there are safe and secure.
The government also informed that the first consignment of relief supplies to Ukraine to deal with the humanitarian situation on Ukraine's borders has been despatched.
On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin recognized Ukraine's breakaway regions - Donetsk and Luhansk - as independent entities escalating the ongoing tensions between the two countries. Ukraine gained independence in 1991 after the disintegration of the Soviet Union.
Earlier in February, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that special military operations are being launched "to protect" the people in the Donbas region. He also warned other countries that any attempt to interfere with the Russian action would lead to "consequences".
Leaders from a number of countries including the UK, the US, Canada, and the European Union have condemned Russia's military operations in Ukraine.
( With inputs from ANI )
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