Nicușor Dan and Volodymyr Zelenskyy discussed the closure of the Romanian-language class in Orlivka

Romania’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs is investigating the closure of a first-grade class taught in Romanian at the school in Orlivka, Odesa region, President Nicușor Dan announced. The case is being examined together with the Embassy of Ukraine in Bucharest, and the Romanian authorities are expected to present their conclusions after the checks are completed.

The class was opened on September 1, following several efforts, but was closed four days later. The parents were reportedly urged to enroll their children in a class taught in Ukrainian. The Consulate General of Romania in Odesa contacted the local and regional authorities, and a new on-site visit is scheduled for September 18.

Nicușor Dan stated that, following the bilateral discussions, progress had been recorded regarding the rights of the Romanian minority in Ukraine. He specified that Romanian schools would retain their current structure and benefit from the support of the Romanian state.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy acknowledged the existence of some isolated situations, but maintained that they had been resolved and assured that Romanian schools would not be closed. The Embassy of Ukraine said that Kyiv respects the educational rights of minorities and maintains a network of institutions providing instruction in Romanian. The disagreements regarding the school in Orlivka arise in the context of the resumption of the bilateral commission on minorities and the guarantees previously offered by Zelenskyy concerning the operation of Romanian schools.

Read also MAE investigates the closure of a Romanian-language class in Ukraine / The Odesa Consulate will discuss the case on September 18