Radio România Internațional

Tag: assistance to the Republic of Moldova

  • Chișinău thanks Bucharest

    Chișinău thanks Bucharest

    The president of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu, has again thanked
    Romania for its constant assistance to Chișinău. The statement was made in a
    meeting the Moldovan president had with Romania’s ambassador in Chișinău,
    Cristian-Leon Țurcanu. Romania is loved in the Republic of Moldova for the
    assistance provided in difficult moments and for its support for Moldova’s EU
    accession efforts, Maia Sandu said last year around December 1, the National
    Day of Romania. The Moldovan president described Romania as the shoulder we
    can rely on when things get tough: kindergartens, school buses, student
    scholarships, Diesel fuel, vaccines, humanitarian aid, funds to modernize
    villages, making communication with our loved ones easier due to lifting
    roaming fees, supporting the culture of the Republic of Moldova and building bridges
    to connect us. Romania is also loved for the light it brings to Moldova when
    Russian missiles leave our region in the dark, but also for the Romanian
    language, which served as our home, said Maia Sandu, herself a citizen of
    Romania as well.

    Romania will continue to support the Republic of Moldova,
    helping this country overcome the present crises, Romania’s Foreign Minister,
    Bogdan Aurescu, recently said in Chișinău. The Romanian official visited the
    Moldovan capital-city, invited by his Moldovan counterpart, Nicu Popescu. The
    two officials highlighted the importance of further developing electricity
    interconnections between the two states, boost cross-border traffic, including
    by constructing bridges over Prut River. Talks also tackled the implementation
    of the non-refundable assistance agreement worth €100 million provided by
    Romania. Projects worth €25 million have already been approved. Another topic
    on the agenda is the operationalization of the assistance platform for the
    Republic of Moldova, launched by Minister Aurescu and his counterparts from
    Germany and France. Moldova’s European track and Romania’s support in this
    respect were also discussed. On the other hand, Minister Aurescu said he has no
    information pointing to the risk of a Russian invasion of the Republic of
    Moldova via northern Ukraine in the coming months, as Chișinău speculates.

    Created on part of the eastern Romanian territories annexed by Stalin’s USSR in
    1940 following an ultimatum, the Republic of Moldova declared its independence
    on August 27, 1991, after the failure of the neo-Bolshevik coup in Moscow,
    targeting the last Soviet leader, the reformist Mikhail Gorbachev. On the same
    day, Romania became the first country in the world to recognize the statehood
    of its new neighbor. (VP)



  • April 30, 2020

    April 30, 2020

    COVID-19 IN ROMANIA – The Suceava County Hospital in the northeast,
    a hotbed of COVID-19, has a new civilian management starting today. For nearly
    a month this medical unit had been managed by the Army. Health Minister Nelu
    Tataru explained the decision comes as the situation in Suceava is now under
    control. Suceava continues to be the county with the highest number of deaths
    and infections. So far 12.240 people are infected with COVID-19 in Romania. The
    number of deaths is close to 700, while over 4.000 patients have recovered.
    Over 2,200 Romanians living abroad have tested positive for coronavirus, mostly
    in Italy. Of these, nearly 80 have died. Bucharest authorities are calling on Romanian
    citizens to strictly observe restrictions aimed at combating the COVID-19
    pandemic, including on May 1, the International Labor Day, when people usually
    celebrate outdoors, organizing parties and barbecues. The authorities are also
    considering various possible scenarios to be applied after May 15: extending
    the state of emergency or declaring a state of alert.




    COVID-19 IN THE WORLD – Europe is seriously affected by the COVID-19
    pandemic, reporting over 1 million confirmed cases in western and southern
    countries alone. Four European countries have exceeded or are close to the
    25,000 deaths mark: Italy, the United Kingdom, Spain and France. The biggest
    increase in the death toll is reported in the UK, which as of yesterday is the
    second-most affected country in Europe. After the first wave of the pandemic
    British authorities were late in imposing social distancing measures. Now,
    London wants to launch a random testing program at national level before
    lifting restrictions. Some 100,000 people will be tested across the UK to help
    the authorities assess the extent of the pandemic. The situation is now stable
    in countries that originally reported large numbers of infected, such as Italy
    and Spain. These countries are reporting significantly lower numbers of deaths
    and infections compared to the pandemic’s peak point.




    MOLDOVA – The Government is today discussing in its weekly session
    about donating protection gear and other medical equipment to the Republic of
    Moldova to help combat the COVID-19 pandemic. Also as of today, a team of
    Romanian doctors and nurses, set up on a volunteer basis, are in the Moldovan
    capital-city Chisinau, where they will help medical staff involved in the fight
    against the coronavirus. We recall that over April 7-24, a team made up of 11
    doctors and 4 nurses were in Lombardy, Italy, where they contributed to the
    treatment of patients infected with coronavirus. The Romanian Foreign Ministry
    has approved the issuance of diplomatic passports to the personnel of Romanian
    medical missions to Italy and the Republic of Moldova, as a sign of great
    respect and appreciation for their efforts in fighting the COVID-19
    pandemic.




    UNEMPLOYMENT – The unemployment rate in Romania went up in March,
    2020 as compared to the previous month, from 3.9% to 4.6%, the National
    Statistics Institute reports. The number of unemployed aged between 15 and 74
    is estimated to stand at 410,000 people in March, as compared to 352,000 in
    February and to 331,000 in March, 2019. 70% of the total number of unemployed
    are aged between 25-74. Some 5.1% of men are unemployed, compared to 3.8% of
    women.




    UNESCO – Some 1.3 billion learners from 186 countries around the
    world are affected by school or university closures, a recent UNESCO survey
    shows. In China and Japan, between 30 and 40% of schools have reopened, while
    in some Nordic countries such as Denmark or Norway, classes have resumed only
    in primary schools. In early May learners will return to school in Germany,
    France, Bulgaria and Greece. Italy and Spain have announced schools will remain
    closed until September, the same as in Romania. 8th and 12th
    graders in our country will be able to sit their final exams in June. UNESCO
    and UNICEF officials together with representatives of the World Food Programme
    and the World Bank have drawn up a framework for reopening schools, where they
    highlight the need to take additional hygiene and prevention measures and to
    adapt curricula.


    (Translated by V. Palcu)