Vietnamese Minister of Foreign Affairs Bùi Thanh Sơn and Romanian counterpart had telephone conversation late Monday on bilateral cooperation. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Minister of Foreign Affairs Bùi Thanh Sơn talked over the phone with his Romanian counterpart Bogdan Aurescu late Monday (local time), asking for continued support for the Vietnamese people and their families evacuating from Ukraine.

Việt Nam attaches importance to and wishes to further intensify the over-70-year friendship between the two countries, the minister stressed.

He highly valued the recent strides in bilateral cooperation and once against thanked Romania, the first EU member to donate 300,000 doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to Việt Nam in July 2021.

He also appreciated the Romanian Government’s humanitarian aid and arrangement of accommodation and health care for Vietnamese people and their families moving from Ukraine over the past days.

The first flight organised by the Vietnamese Government to repatriate about 300 Vietnamese people and their families evacuating from Ukraine in Romania will arrive in Việt Nam on March 8, Sơn noted, asking Romanian authorities to help with procedures for the flight and create favourable conditions for the Vietnamese to return to their homeland.

For his part, Minister Aurescu affirmed relevant agencies of his country had been working closely with the Vietnamese Embassy and associations in Romania to carry out citizen protection measures for the Vietnamese people and their families from Ukraine, and facilitate procedures for the repatriation flight.

The two officials also discussed measures for expanding and enhancing their countries’ long-standing friendship, including promoting high-level mutual visits and all-level meetings; maintaining the political consultation and the joint committee for economic, trade, and investment cooperation; cementing ties in traditional fields such as education -training, culture, and tourism; and tightening links in potential areas such as labour and agriculture.

On this occasion, Minister Sơn invited his Romanian counterpart to visit Việt Nam in the near future to discuss bilateral and international issues of common concern. Minister Aurescu accepted the invitation with pleasure.

The first flight repatriating those evacuating from Ukraine departed Henri Coandă International Airport in the Romanian capital at 7:35pm on March 7 (Bucharest time). It is scheduled to arrive at Nội Bài International Airport in Hà Nội at 11:30am on March 8 (local time).

The flight, operated by Vietnam Airlines, is carrying 287 passengers, including 71 children under 12.

The entire staff of the Vietnamese Embassy and many members of Vietnamese associations in Romania had been present at Henri Coandă International Airport early to help the passengers handle boarding procedures. — VNS