Radio România Internațional

Tag: Defence Council

  • September 26, 2016

    September 26, 2016

    DEFENCE – In Bucharest, the Supreme Defence Council is to convene on Tuesday. The agenda includes topics like the implementation of the decisions made in the NATO Summit, which affect Romania, the Presidents spokesman announced on Monday. Another topic on the agenda is the state of the healthcare system in Romania. The previous meeting of the Supreme Defence Council was held in late July, two weeks after the NATO Summit in Warsaw.




    PROTEST – The management of the National Penitentiary Agency announced the institution took note of the demands of trade unions in the penitentiary system, but warned that employees cannot resort to strikes or voluntary suspension of work, although they may organise other forms of protest permitted by law. Prison staff in Romania initiated open-ended protest actions around the country on Monday. They demand, among other things, an improvement in working standards, addressing salary imbalances and a reduction of the personnel shortage, currently put at nearly 8,000 people. The unionists say they will no longer work extra hours, which in their opinion would lead to blocking prison activity. The Justice Minister, Raluca Prună, is to have talks today with employees of the National Penitentiary Agency.




    AFGHANISTAN – The condition of the 4 Romanian troops wounded on Sunday during a mission in Afghanistan is improving, the authorities in Bucharest have announced. The military were part of the White Sharks Battalion, which ensures the protection of the military base in Kandahar and assists the Afghan security forces. They were wounded when an improvised explosive device went off during their patrol mission, and were taken to the army base hospital in Kandahar.




    RADIRO – RadiRo Festival, the only large-scale European event exclusively devoted to radio orchestras, continues today with a concert given by the National Radio Orchestra conducted by Cristian Măcelaru. The soloist will be the highly acclaimed cello player Răzvan Suma, who will be accompanied by the Academic Choir and the Radio Childrens Choir. They will perform Carl Orffs Carmina Burana, one of the best known works of the last century. The festival, organised by Radio Romania, comes to an end on Saturday, October 1, and the concerts will also be aired live in the European Broadcasting Union network and the Asia-Pacific platform of public and private radio broadcasters.




    MOLDOVA – The European Commissioner for Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement, Johannes Hahn, will have meetings in Chişinău today with representatives of the authorities and the opposition. The main goal of the talks is to review the status of implementing specific reforms supported by the European Union. Special emphasis will be laid on the overview of the state of the country ahead of the elections, with a view to ensuring that the country meets its commitments to the OSCE and the Council of Europe during the presidential elections due on October 30.




    SYRIA – The American Ambassador to the UN has launched a harsh attack at Russia, which supports the Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria. According to the US official “What Russia is sponsoring and doing is not counter-terrorism. It is barbarism. Russias actions were also condemned by the ambassadors of France and Great Britain, who emphasised that such actions should not go unpunished. Russia claims these attacks target terrorism and the people killed were terrorists or supporting terrorism. The Ambassador of Russia to the UN has warned that, because there are hundreds of armed groups in the region, peace is virtually impossible at this point in Syria. Clashes continued on Sunday in Aleppo, the countrys second-largest city, where government forces launched heavy attacks on Friday against the rebel-held areas. These were targeted by intensive bombing by Syrian and Russian aircraft.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • Security and Terrorism

    Security and Terrorism

    Romania does not need to raise its security alert level, in spite of the growing frequency of terror attacks in Europe, President Klaus Iohannis said after Tuesdays meeting of the Higher Defence Council. According to the Romanian Intelligence Service, the blue alert level in force in Romania at present means that judging by the information available and the recent developments, the risks of a terrorist attack in the country are low.



    Klaus Iohannis: “An assessment report has been presented, of the security situation in Romania in terms of terrorist risks and threats. All the public institutions having responsibilities in this field have assured me that for the time being there are no reasons to raise the terror alert level above its current level, which is ‘guarded.



    Klaus Iohannis also announced that a task force has become operational in Bucharest, which will be in charge with the preparations for the establishment of the NATO multi-national brigade under Romanian command. The decision to set up the brigade was taken at the NATO Summit recently held in Warsaw. The unit will be operational as of next spring, and will be made up of troops from 6 Allied countries. According to the Romanian official, the decisions made in Poland must be implemented fully, efficiently and quickly, and all the relevant Romanian institutions have been informed of their responsibilities.



    The President also announced that Romania is waiting for the suggestions of the NATO planning structures with respect to the Black Sea region. As Klaus Iohannis put it, “we stay in touch with all the Allies involved, in view of the implementation of what we may call the historic decisions made in Warsaw. All these measures and Romanias efforts also contribute to the implementation of the National Defence Strategy and the consolidation of our countrys position.



    As regards Turkey, Iohannis said that the Higher Defence Council assessed the situation in that country further to the attempted coup and added that Turkey would remain a strategic partner of Romania, a crucial ally for NATO and a key partner of the European Union. As a NATO member state, Romania has an interest in ensuring the security and stability of the region, as well as the respect for the principles of democracy and the rule of law. Romania has clearly expressed its position with respect to the attempted coup, and firmly condemned all actions coming against constitutional order and jeopardising the democratic institutions of Turkey. The Romanian President also voiced his confidence that authorities in Ankara are aware of the importance of respecting democratic institutions and values and the fundamental human rights and freedoms.

  • May 27, 2016 UPDATE

    May 27, 2016 UPDATE

    The President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, announced on Friday that the Supreme Defence Council agreed to draw up an action plan for the healthcare system, and the Government will submit quarterly updates on the healthcare sector and citizens health. The statement comes amid large-scale investigations into the disinfectants used in Romanian hospitals. A government report mentions that disinfectants have been diluted hundreds to thousand times as compared to the figures on the labels. Also, according to the President, the Supreme Defence Council approved the broad lines of Romanias mandate at the NATO summit due in Warsaw on July 8 and 9, subject to updates. During the same session, the Council approved the number of Romanian troops to take part in missions abroad in 2017, namely 1401 troops and civilians from the Army and 783 troops and police forces from the Interior Ministry. According to Iohannis, the Council also endorsed a report on the plans for Units 3 and 4 of the Cernavoda nuclear power plant. The president said this was a high priority investment for Romania, which would help increase the nuclear power output to around 30% of the total national output and contribute substantially to the countrys economic growth.



    Donations for the purchase of sculptor Constantin Brancusis work “Wisdom of the Earth can be made by text message, telethon, public auctions, virtual donation boxes and special events. On Friday the Government broadened the contribution options and the means to cooperate with the legal entities interested in helping the government purchase the sculpture. The “Wisdom of the Earth, currently in a private collection, costs 11 million euros, of which the Government announced it would contribute 5 million euros, with the balance to be raised from collections.



    Two Romanian tennis players have qualified for the eight finals of the Roland Garros, the second Grand Slam tournament of the year. Simona Halep, 6th seeded, defeated Japanese player Naomi Osaka, 101st seeded, 4 – 6, 6 – 2, 6 – 3. Irina Begu, 28th seeded, won against German player Annika Beck, 39th seeded, 6- 4, 2 – 6, 6 – 1. Also today, the Romanian – Indian pair Florin Mergea and Rohan Bopanna qualified to the eighth finals of the male doubles, winning 6-4, 6-4 against the all French pair Gregoire Barrere/Quentin Halys. At the same time, the Romanian-Dutch pair Horia Tecau and Jean Julien Rojer were eliminated in the second round of the male doubles by the Uruguay- Spain pair Pablo Cuevas/Marcel Granollers, 5 – 7, 6- 4, 6 – 3.

  • May 19, 2016 UPDATE

    May 19, 2016 UPDATE

    PRESIDENCY – The President of Romania Klaus Iohannis told a press conference on Thursday that the Supreme Defence Council, due to convene on May 27, would discuss the public healthcare issue. The head of state explained this decision was made following the most recent public scandal, involving diluted disinfectants, which revealed the extent of the damages caused by the carelessness and corruption in the public healthcare system. Iohannis also mentioned that healthcare was included in the National Defence Strategy. In another development, the President announced on Thursday having signed into law a legislative package on public procurement, which was recently endorsed by Parliament. Iohannis also said he would send back to the Government the Ph.D. bill, because he intended to put an end to the scourge of plagiarism, and the text endorsed by Parliament fails to define a proper legislative framework to encourage excellence.



    DIPLOMACY – While on an official visit to London, the Romanian Defence Minister, Mihnea Motoc, had a meeting on Thursday with the British Secretary for Defence, Michael Fallon. The talks focused on strengthening the bilateral military cooperation as well as cooperation in preparing the agenda for the forthcoming NATO Summit due in July. The two officials emphasised the critical role of the strategic partnership between the UK and Romania in the current security context. The Romanian Defence Minister also highlighted the strategic important of the Black Sea, as an integral part of Euro-Atlantic security, and the need for a stronger NATO presence along the eastern flank of the Alliance.



    CULTURE – The Government of Romania and the Culture Ministry Thursday officially launched the support campaign for the national subscription for purchasing Constantin Brancusis famous work “Wisdom of the Earth. The campaign will run until September 30. The work, currently in a private collection, costs 11 million euros, of which the Government announced it would pay 5 million euros, with the balance to be raised through this public campaign. The “Wisdom of the Earth, dating back to 1907, alongside works like “The Kiss and “Prayer, is representative of Brancusis most creative years.



    PLANE CRASH – A terror attack is a more likely explanation than technical failure in the case of the airliner that went missing on Thursday in the Mediterranean, says the Egyptian Civil Aviation Minister, Sherif Fatih. Previously the President of France had confirmed that the EgyptAir plane had crashed into the sea. The aircraft, which was flying from Paris to Cairo, carried 66 passengers and crew, mostly Egyptians and French people. A spokesperson for the Greek Army announced that pieces of debris were spotted in the search area around 370 km from the Greek island of Crete. Originally the presumed crash area was off the Karpathos Island, east of Crete. According to the Greek authorities, the aircraft lost contact with the radar little after leaving the Greek airspace and entering Egypts.



    TENNIS – Two more Romanians, Sorana Cîrstea (99 WTA) and Andreea Mitu (114 WTA) have reached the main draw of the Roland Garros tournament, the second Grand Slam tournament of the year, totalling 32 million dollars in prize money. Cîrstea defeated Jana Cepelova (Slovakia, 134 WTA) and Mitu outplayed Chinas Jia – Jing Lu (208 WTA). Marius Copil, 190th ranked in ATP rankings, will play Roberto Carballes Baena (115 ATP), while Adrian Ungur, 204th ranked in
    ATP standings, defeated Frances Tiafoe of the United States, 188 ATP. Simona Halep, Irina Begu, Monica Niculescu and Alexandra Dulgheru have already secured qualification to the main draw.