Romania is determined to “contribute substantially to the EU Advisory Mission in Ukraine”, the Romanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Titus Corlatean said on Tuesday (July 22) at the Foreign Affairs Council, in Brussels. He also repeated Romania’s support for further strengthening the EU sanction regime, directly related to the Russian Federation’s actions in Ukraine.

“Together with his European counterparts, the Romanian Foreign Minister showed that the crash of the Malaysian Airlines airplane brings into focus, in a tragic manner, the way in which the conflict in Ukraine affects the entire international community and once again points out the necessity to resolve this issue as soon as possible,” reads a statement of the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs MAE.

According to the statement, the EU Foreign Ministers expressed their deep regret on the tragic loss of lives caused by the crash in Eastern Ukraine.

“They made a strong call towards all parties present in the field, particularly separatist groups operating in the region, to allow immediate access for expert teams on the site, to recover the bodies. They argued the need to launch a thorough and credible international investigation to identify the circumstances of the tragedy and those responsible for it,” according to MAE.

They’ve also expressed the disappointment regarding the lack of substantial actions from the Russian Federation on stopping the armed conflict in Eastern Ukraine.

The Council approved a package of restrictive measures, according to MAE’s statement. The ministers approved the extension of the listing criteria to include entities and individuals that contribute to undermining the territorial integrity and national sovereignty of Ukraine.

They’ve also decided to accelerate the adoption of measures against individuals and entities that provide financial and material support to activities related to the illegal annexation of Crimea and the destabilization of the eastern part of Ukraine, namely the formulation of new restrictions on investment in the Crimea, according to MAE.

Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com