Bucharest, March 5 /Agerpres/ - Ambassadors and envoys of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member countries and of the Arab Group in Romania hosted on Tuesday an Iftar dinner, which was attended by Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu and other senior government officials and lawmakers.

'Thank you for making us feel at home. We are truly grateful, as we gather to welcome this blessed month,' said Mohammed Abdulghani Khayat, ambassador of Saudi Arabia and Chairman of the OIC Group.We thank you for making us feel at home. We are truly grateful as we gather to welcome this blessed month,' said Mohammed Abdulghani Khayat, ambassador of Saudi Arabia and president of the OIC Group, as cited in a press statement issued by the Iranian Embassy in Bucharest on Wednesday.

'Ramadan teaches us to be better ... To work for peace all over the world, especially to our Palestinian brothers and sisters. Our hearts and prayers are with them. We wish peace for Ukraine as well,' he told the gathering that included Minister of Economy, Digital Transformation, Entrepreneurship and Tourism Bogdan-Gruia Ivan, Minister of Family, Youth and Equal Opportunities Simona Bucura-Oprescu, Chairman of the Chamber of Deputies' Foreign Policy Committee Hajdu Gabor, Senator Sorin Moise, Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Sorin-Mihai Grindeanu, and Justice Minister Radu Marinescu.

Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu described the evening as an expression of values.

'The Iftar is the fast-breaking evening meal during Ramadan. At the same time, it represents a symbol of reunion, reflection, and recognition,' he said, adding that 'it brings us together with others and helps us build a community, a communion between people.'

'In the spirit of community, reflection, and recognition, I would like to wish all Muslims in Romania a joyful Ramadan filled with health, prosperity, and peace. Ramadan Kareem!,' the prime minister said.

Iftar is the name of the meal eaten at the end of a day of Muslim fasting. Muslims throughout the world are required to fast from dawn to dusk during the holy month of Ramadan.

Ambassador of Lebanon and Dean of the Arab Group in Romania Rana Mokaddem reminded that Ramadan is not merely a time of refraining from food and drink, but an opportunity for strengthening relationships with tolerance, kindness, and empathy to the suffering of others.

'We need these humanitarian values more than ever, particularly in Congo, Sudan, Ukraine, Lebanon, and Palestine, where innocent people endure the tragedies of war and devastation,' she said.

Also attending the gathering were leaders of religious groups, such as Apostolic Nuncio Msgr. Giampiero Gloder, Chief of the Muslim Community of Romania Mufti Iusuf Muurat, and Vicar of the Archdiocese of Bucharest Rev. Father Michael Tita, alongside the OIC and Arab Group ambassadors of Algeria, Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Pakistan, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Turkey and Turkmenistan, and envoys from Iraq, Malaysia, Nigeria, Syria, and Sudan. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Mariana Ionescu; EN - writing by: Simona Klodnischi)