Romania contributed to the evacuation of about 60% of Ukrainian grain from February to date (translation in comments)
Romania contributed to the evacuation of about 60% of Ukrainian grain from February to date (translation in comments)
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Translated with DeepL:
The statement was made by Ionel Scrioșteanu, Secretary of State in the Ministry of Transport, who was in Paris where he signed an agreement with his French counterparts to facilitate Ukrainian grain exports. Most of the grain has transited through Romania to other destinations around the world. And France will help carry out feasibility studies to develop Romanian transport. Cristina Teacă spoke to Ionel Scrioșteanu, secretary of state in the transport ministry, in an exclusive interview for RFI Paris.
The agreement will be implemented within the framework of the corridors of solidarity with Ukraine. A document was initialled in Paris between Transport Minister Clément Beaune and Romanian Secretary of State Ionel Scrioșteanu – from the Ministry of Transport, in the presence of Vadim Omelchenko – Ukrainian Ambassador to France.
Ionel Scrioșteanu, State Secretary in the Ministry of Transport: “This agreement is part of the strategic partnership that Romania has with France – and which was reconfirmed in 2020.
It strengthens Romania’s ability to provide Ukraine with as many viable means as possible so that Ukraine’s exports and imports can be carried out as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Romania, by making available all the facilities it currently has, has contributed to the evacuation of about 60% of Ukrainian grain in total since February and until now. By far, the Port of Constanta and the Danube have made a decisive contribution to the evacuation of this important percentage.
But we need more, the French transport background, to strengthen this capacity and to make the most of the Romanian railway system, the Port of Constanta and the Danube as a whole – river and sea. We need all this to be able to support Ukraine further in exporting and importing what the Ukrainian people need”.
RFI: How exactly have Ukrainian grain shipments from February to the present been successfully evacuated to Romania? By land or by river?
“All modes of transport were used: road, rail and especially river. All ports on the Danube – Galati and Giurgiulesti in Moldova or Izmail in Ukraine – have been working at full capacity. And the Sulina Canal has transited some 2.5 million tonnes of Ukrainian grain from February to date to all countries of the world.
On the other hand, the Port of Constanta has contributed, through the rail system and barges that have been loaded in the ports listed above, including the road contribution – with the help of trucks – to the export of another 2.1 million tonnes of grain that have gone to all the ports of the world.”
RFI: Once this grain arrived in Romania, what happened to it afterwards?
“Most of it transited through Romania and went to many destinations around the world”.
RFI: In Europe, as Russian President Vladimir Putin recently accused?
“No, no, very few went to Europe and the rest to other destinations in the world. On the Sulina Channel alone, there were almost 550 ships that left the Romanian space. They went to countries outside Europe”.
RFI: And with this new agreement signed in Paris, the intention is that grain will be evacuated from Ukraine by land?
“The intention is to greatly develop all modes of transport – from all border points with Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova, including the development of the Port of Galati, by creating another transhipment system from wagon directly to ship. We want to increase the capacity of the Sulina Canal to be transited by as many ships as possible, to all destinations worldwide.
We also want a proper management in the Port of Constanta to increase the port capacity so that it can be transited by grain.
Romania has made additional efforts to increase rail capacity in the Port of Constanta and in the Port of Galati, in order to be able to take on more and easier Ukrainian grain”.
RFI: Do you hope to evacuate a certain amount of Ukrainian grain?
“We hope to be able to evacuate as much grain as possible, it remains to be seen what the effects will be on each transport system – be it road or rail, sea or inland waterway. Certainly the effect will be to increase Romania’s transport and transit capacity for Ukrainian grain.”
RFI: How can France help you in this respect?
“France will help us with specialists on each mode of transport. With feasibility studies, for example, for the Port of Galati. And with pilots for the Sulina Canal.
Once the expertise for all modes of transport is available, we are also looking for the necessary funding or in-kind contribution from France or the European Commission to equip Romanian transport systems and increase the capacity made available to Ukraine.”
RFI: How much money does Romania need to implement all this?
“We will know this after the feasibility studies and technical studies that France provides us with. Beyond the one-off role in supporting the flow of goods from Ukraine through Romania to the rest of the world, the agreement signed in Paris could be the starting point for long-term cooperation after the war is over. We aim to use the new transport systems in Romania also for the reconstruction of Ukraine”.
Thank you Romania! I always knew you were bros:)
France should tap more in the Romanian market (not only Romanian but all central and Eastern Europe countries). Not sure why we need a global crises for them to see the potential.
Maybe it would’ve been even more if Romania was in the Schengen area.
Great to see the group effort of so many nations doing their part in addressing and managing the crisis in Ukraine.
I hope one day the trade between Romania and Ukraine can boost the incentive to build a bridge across Danube and save people travelling between Odesa and Bucharest from having to cross two borders and drive 2km in Moldova.