WAR IN UKRAINE – The USA will send
ammo and military vehicle to Ukraine as part of a new assistance package worth
725 million USD, meant to help Kyiv fend off the Russian invasion, the US
Department of Defense has announced. Saudi Arabia will also send to Ukraine
humanitarian aid worth 400 million USD. Crown prince Mohammed bin Salman told
Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, that his country is willing to
continue its efforts to mediate a truce between Kyiv and Moscow. On the ground,
Ukrainian investigators have exhumed Ukrainian military buried in one of the
two mass graves discovered in the wake of the Russian withdrawal from Lyman,
eastern Donetsk. Meanwhile, a power plant in Belgorod, Russia caught fire in
what the regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov has described as a Ukrainian
attack.
REFUGEES – According to the
Romanian Border Police Inspectorate, some 96 thousand people entered Romania,
of whom 8,800 were Ukrainian nationals, representing a 7% increase compared to
the previous day. According to a press release published on Saturday, some 2.5
million Ukrainians have entered Romania starting February 10. Most of them were
in route to countries in Western Europe. According to the Interior Ministry,
over 4,300 Ukrainians were given asylum in Romania, thus benefiting from every
right under the Romanian law. Some 70,000 Ukrainians have obtained stay permits
and benefit from temporary protection.
VACCINES – The European
Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) has confirmed it is conducting an
investigation into the acquisition of COVID-19 vaccines in the European Union.
In a post on Facebook, the EPPO stated no further details will be made public
at this stage. The Social-Democratic Party (PSD) claims the EPPO should also
investigation Romania’s own vaccine acquisition campaign carried out in 2021,
which the party says resulted in a prejudice of 1 billion EUR. PSD says USR
Health Ministers in charge of the campaign are yet to provide a relevant
explanation to justify the acquisition.
NICOLESCO – Countless celebrities
in Romania mourn the death of soprano Mariana Nicolesco, who passed away on
Friday aged 73. Also known as Regina del Belcanto, Primadonna Assoluta or Diva
Divina, Mariana Nicolesco leaves behind a universe that she expanded throughout
her career, musicologists say. Mariana Nicolesco was an honorary member of the
Romanian Academy, Doctor Honoris Causa and honorary professor of several
universities in Romania and neighboring Moldova. She is the recipient of
numerous distinctions and awards, including Commander of the Italian Republic,
Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters from France and the National Order of
the Star of Romania in the Rank of Grand Cross. According to a study, Mariana
Nicolesco featured in the largest numbers of premiers at Teatro alla Scala in
Milan. She was invited by Pope John Paul II to perform Romanian carols as part
of the Vatican Christmas Concert of 1993, broadcast live all over the world.
NATO – Romania’s Foreign
Ministry announced it has redirected unused sums of money previously allotted
to supporting Afghan security forces to NATO funds designed to assist countries
in the region. The total value of these funds stands at 1.4 million USD.
Romania thus contributes to consolidating Ukraine’s resilience and defense
capacity by earmarking up to 400 thousand USD.
Romania will also provide 600 thousand USD to neighboring Moldova and
300 thousand USD to Georgia, another two countries affected by the war in
Ukraine. 100 thousand USD will be delivered to consolidating Jordan’s defenses.
The Government took the decision in line with Romania’s foreign policy and
security priorities, designed to increase our country’s standing at NATO level
and achieve objectives tied to the consolidation of security and stability on
the Alliance’s Eastern Flank, particularly in the Black Sea region.
COMMEMORATION – Festivities were held in Alba Iulia on Saturday
marking 100 years since the coronation of King Ferdinand I, and his wife, Queen
Marie. Held on October 15, 1922, the coronation was a majestic event, lavishly
described by the chronicles of the time and transparent in a large number of
photographs. A century away, the city of Alba Iulia relived the emotion and
grandeur of that event through various exhibitions, film screenings, historical
reenactments, concerts and live performances attended by representatives of the
Royal House of Romania. Ferdinand succeeded his uncle Charles I to the throne
of Romania, becoming the second king of Romania in 1914. At the end of World
War I, with Ferdinand as king, historical provinces inhabited by Romanians
united under one single nation. Therefore, on October 15, 1922, Ferdinand
became King of Greater Romania. The monarch passed away in 1927. (VP)