Viktor Yelenskyi met with official representatives of Romania and the Romanian Orthodox Church
This is reported by the SEFC website.
In Bucharest, Yelenskyi held 8 meetings with officials of Romania and the Romanian Orthodox Church (RomOC), the leadership of the Union of the Ukrainians of Romania and the clergy of the Ukrainian vicariate of the RomOC.
The meetings aimed to deepen cooperation in protecting freedom of conscience, ensuring the rights of the Ukrainian national minority (community), and giving greater momentum to Ukrainian-Romanian relations in the area of defending religious freedom and countering Russian propaganda. The visit also focused on establishing bilateral relations to ensure the rights of the Romanian and Ukrainian national minorities (communities), supporting their identity, and strengthening religious dialogue between Ukraine and Romania.
In particular, during the meeting between the Head of the SEFC, Viktor Yelenskyi, and the State Secretary of the Romanian State Secretariat for Religious Rights, Ciprian Olinici, the parties discussed issues of bilateral cooperation, including the state of church-state relations in Ukraine and Romania, the policies of both countries in the field of religion, the Church and believers, as well as opportunities for the Ukrainian national minority in Romania and the Romanian national minority in Ukraine to properly express their religious needs. The parties discussed the current challenges in world Orthodoxy, in particular, the desire of Russia and the Russian Church to take control of local Orthodox Churches and use them to spread disinformation. Viktor Yelenskyi and Ciprian Olinici agreed that the relationship between the SEFC and the State Secretariat needs to be further strengthened and identified specific steps to do so.
During the meeting with Ana Cristina Tinca, State Secretary of the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the parties discussed the protection of the rights of persons belonging to the Romanian national minority (community) in Ukraine and the Ukrainian national minority (community) in Romania. Viktor Yelenskyi expressed his gratitude for the great assistance provided by Romania to Ukraine and noted that in the humanitarian sphere, there are significant opportunities to improve, deepen and strengthen cooperation between the two countries, namely, in the humanitarian sphere between scientific, cultural, public and religious organizations of both countries. The parties showed a full understanding of the importance of developing dialogue in all these areas, including church-state partnerships.
On the same day, at the Patriarchate, Viktor Yelenskyi held a nearly three-hour meeting with the Secretary of the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church, Bishop Varlaam Ploiesteanu, and his advisors, to discuss the most difficult issues that arise on religious grounds in both countries. Viktor Yelenskyi emphasized the need to foster the dialogue between the Orthodox Churches of both countries, which will contribute to strengthening the spiritual and moral foundations of Ukrainian and Romanian societies and to the resilience of our countries in the face of Russian aggression.
The next day, at the Romanian Parliament, Viktor Yelenskyi met with members of the Parliamentary Commission on Human Rights, Religions and National Minorities. The parliamentarians expressed their deep interest in the issues of ensuring the rights of national minorities in Ukraine, protecting their fundamental freedoms in the worst situation since the Second World War; in the plans of the European Commission for the Empowerment of National Minorities (Communities) and Indigenous Peoples, as well as in the steps taken by Ukraine to bring its legislation into line with European standards.
Concurrently, the members of the Parliamentary Commission described in detail the existing system in Romania to ensure the rights of national minorities and support their social and cultural needs and political representation. Afterwards, Viktor Yelenskyi met with members of the Parliamentary Friendship Group with Ukraine chaired by MP Sorin Moldovan, Vice-Chairman of the Parliamentary Commission on Defense, Public Order and National Security. The parties agreed that Ukrainian-Romanian security cooperation has a distinct humanitarian dimension, as helping Ukraine defend itself against Russian aggression means protecting culture, identity, religious freedom and human rights.
During the meeting with the President of the Union of Ukrainians of Romania, Mykola-Myroslav Petretskyi, the parties discussed the educational rights of Ukrainians in Romania, the possibility of receiving education in their native language and the expansion of the network of educational institutions with Ukrainian as the language of instruction. Mykola-Myroslav Petretskyi spoke exhaustively about how Ukrainians in Romania help Ukraine and how they try to preserve their historical and cultural characteristics and pass them on to future generations.
The discussion at the Department for Romanians Abroad with Director Cristina-Lavinia Arnăutu and her staff was very interesting and lively. They familiarized the Ukrainian delegation with the projects that the Department implements in various fields for Romanians outside Romania. Thus, the Romanian side said that this work in Romania began systematically 15-20 years ago with the increase in migration flows after Romania's accession to the EU and that the experience of this country is of particular importance for Ukrainians, millions of whom found themselves abroad as a result of the Russian invasion. At the end of the working visit, the Ukrainian delegation visited the Ukrainian Orthodox parish in Bucharest. Viktor Yelenskyi also gave an interview to Romanian TV channels, speaking about church-state relations in Ukraine and the state's actions to strengthen religious freedom and ensure the rights of national minorities.
The meetings were also attended by: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to Romania Ihor Prokopchuk, Deputy Head of the Office of the Ukrainian World Community and Humanitarian Initiatives - Head of the Humanitarian Initiatives Division of the Department of Public Diplomacy and Communications of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Bohdan Movchan, and First Secretary of the Embassy of Ukraine in Romania Borys Patrash.
