Romania can provide humanitarian aid in the form of extracting children and their family members from the Gaza Strip, treating them in Romanian hospitals, providing scholarships for Palestinian students, securing emergency services in the territory, and providing assistance for the development of law enforcement and judiciary institutions, president Nicușor Dan said in a statement at the Board of Peace on Thursday, February 19. 

Moreover, the president also noted Romania’s traditionally good relations with both the Israeli and Palestinian people.

The statement went along with the declared mandate of the Romanian president at the Board of Peace, where he represented the country as an observing member. 

“Therefore, you can count on us," the president wrapped up his statement, implying Romania’s commitment to get involved in the Gaza Strip reconstruction, for now. 

According to an image published by the Presidential Administration, Nicușor Dan and his advisor Marius Lazurca also had a brief meeting with Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

“I remain a firm supporter of transatlantic cooperation between the US and the European Union based on a constant and open dialogue. This balanced approach is the one that brings the most benefits to our country, for which freedom, democracy, and the rule of law remain the fundamental coordinates," president Dan stated later in a X post.

Meanwhile, in his presentation of Nicușor Dan at the Board of Peace meeting, Donald Trump referred to the Romanian head of state as “prime minister,” adding that the Romanian people are “fantastic.” 

“Prime minister Dan of Romania. Wonderful people, the Romanian people are fantastic. […] And a lot of them come and work in this country and help us in this country, as you know, and they are just really, really solid people,” Trump said.

Romania’s participation in the first Board of Peace Summit was subject to heated debates in Romania, but rather among political analysts. None of the relevant political parties, except maybe a faction of the reformist Save Romania Union (USR), argued against president Dan’s visit. 

Answering journalists’ questions in Washington, Nicușor Dan explained his visit as an initiative of Romania’s strategic partnership with the US. 

“We do not choose between the United States and the European Union. We try to be fair partners in all the partnerships we have, and here the European Commission itself was represented," the head of state emphasised.

President Dan also stressed that the legitimacy of the Romanian administration, after the cancellation of the presidential elections in December 2024, is no longer a topic on the bilateral agenda with the United States, Digi24 reported.

iulian@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Presidency.ro)