Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps he is taking to support the work of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe in ensuring free and fair elections in Romania.

The UK is a strong supporter of the OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR). While ODIHR did not send an election observation mission to Romania on this occasion, the UK will continue to work closely with the OSCE to support democratic values in the region.

On 6 December the Romanian Constitutional Court annulled the results of the first round of the Presidential election. On 7 December the Foreign Secretary set out UK concerns following reports from the Romanian authorities of Russian interference in their Presidential elections and reiterated the importance of elections being decided by the Romanian people, freely and fairly, he further stated that the UK remains a resolute Ally to Romania and is confident in its democracy.

On 4 December the Foreign Secretary met Romanian FM Odobescu in the margins of NATO Foreign Ministers, and on 12 November I hosted FM Odobescu in London. In both of these meetings we reaffirmed our commitment to strengthening our bilateral relationship and our shared concerns regarding Russian hybrid threats in the region.