Bogdan Aurescu: How is Romania handling the pressure from the war on Ukraine?
The Interview
BBC
4.3 • 537 Ratings
🗓️ 29 March 2023
⏱️ 23 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
The fallout from Putin’s war on Ukraine is having a big impact on Romania, from the refugee crisis to fears of conflict spreading to neighbouring Moldova. How is Romania handling the pressure? Stephen Sackur speaks to the country’s Foreign Minister, Bogdan Aurescu.
(Photo: Bogdan Aurescu in the Hardtalk studio)
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Welcome to Hard Talk on the BBC World Service with me, Stephen Sacker. My guest today is |
| 0:06.2 | Foreign Minister of a nation which shares a 600-kilometer-long border with Ukraine. So it's hardly |
| 0:12.4 | surprising that Bogdan Arescu, Romania's top diplomat, has seen his job dominated by the fallout |
| 0:19.8 | from Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than a year ago. |
| 0:24.7 | The humanitarian challenge for Romania has been huge. |
| 0:28.2 | Some 3 million Ukrainians have passed through the country. |
| 0:31.7 | More than 100,000 are still living there. |
| 0:34.3 | But in Bucharest, there are complicating factors. |
| 0:39.5 | Romanian public opinion appears less enthusiastic about offering military assistance to Kiev than in much of the rest of Europe. |
| 0:45.2 | Romania has long-standing beefs with Ukraine, which have not been forgotten. There's also deep concern |
| 0:52.5 | about the possibly destabilizing effect the war could have on |
| 0:55.7 | Moldova, a nation whose history and language is entwined with that of Romania. It's clear |
| 1:02.4 | Bogdan Arescu is currently treading through a diplomatic minefield. Will he emerge unscathed? |
| 1:09.7 | Well, he joins me now. Welcome to Hard Talk. Thank you for having me. |
| 1:14.7 | It's a pleasure to have you. How destabilizing has Russia's war on Ukraine been to your country, Romania? |
| 1:23.6 | As you know, Romania is the NATO and EU member state with the longest border with Ukraine. |
| 1:30.3 | And we have been since the very day one of the war of aggression of Russia against Ukraine |
| 1:34.3 | in the front line of the efforts of the international community to counter the effects of this war. |
| 1:40.3 | And this is very much appreciated by Ukraine. This is very much appreciated by our partners. |
| 1:45.1 | And I had the pleasure these days to talk with my counterpart, James Cleverley. |
| 1:49.5 | We have signed today a very important document. |
| 1:52.5 | A joint declaration on updating our strategic partnership. |
... |
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