On 21 September 2026, the Grand Hospitaller of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, HE Dr Josef D. Blotz, met with Dr Raed Arafat, Secretary of State and Head of the Department for Emergency Situations (DSU) within the Romanian Ministry of Internal Affairs, to discuss the longstanding cooperation between the Order of Malta and Romania’s emergency response structures.

Particular attention was given to the collaboration between DSU and the Order’s Romanian Relief Corps, Serviciul de Ajutor Maltez în România (SAMR). Acknowledging the excellent level of cooperation developed in recent years, the discussions also explored opportunities to further strengthen this partnership, including through the training of SAMR volunteers, joint participation in emergency response operations, and the exchange of experience and best practices.

The meeting was also attended by the Ambassador of the Sovereign Order of Malta to Romania, HE Roberto Musneci KM; the President of the Romanian Association of the Order of Malta (AROM), Count Tibor Kálnoky; the Director General of SAMR, Mr Ferenc Tischler KM; and SAMR’s National Social Programmes Coordinator, Mrs Anca Simu.

At the conclusion of the meeting, Ambassador Musneci stated, “It was a pleasure to welcome Secretary of State Raed Arafat together with the Grand Hospitaller, HE Dr Josef D. Blotz, and to reaffirm the strong and longstanding cooperation between the Order of Malta and the Department for Emergency Situations. Our discussions also identified further opportunities to deepen this partnership through practical initiatives in training, emergency response, and the exchange of expertise.”