Radio România Internațional

Tag: Dincu

  • October 2, 2022

    October 2, 2022

    Statement — Romania’s President, Klaus Iohannis, along with seven other presidents of several NATO member states from Central and Eastern Europe, namely the presidents of the Czech Republic, Estonia, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Poland and Slovakia, signed a joint statement reiterating their support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. “We firmly support the decision of the NATO Summit in Bucharest of 2008 regarding the future accession of Ukraine,” Klaus Iohannis said in a post on a social network. We remind you that on September 30, the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, signed Ukraines request for an accelerated accession to NATO. The Secretary General of the Alliance, Jens Stoltenberg, stated that Ukraine has the right to apply for membership, but emphasized that, at the moment, the priority is providing aid to Kyiv. Support for Ukraines accession to NATO has already been expressed by the Baltic States and Canada.



    Visit — The Romanian Defense Minister, Vasile Dîncu, said on Saturday, during his official visit to Chisinau, that NATO was not looking for a confrontation with the Russian Federation and that it unequivocally supported the sovereignty, integrity and independence of neighboring Ukraine. According to a Defense Ministry communiqué, Vasile Dincu analyzed, during the discussions with Prime Minister Natalia Gavriliţa, the state of bilateral cooperation, also in a regional context. The discussions also covered the security situation in the area, highlighting the actions taken by both sides to manage the unprecedented number of refugees from Ukraine, as well as the energy crisis generated by Russia. During the meeting with the President of the Moldovan Parliament, Igor Grosu, the Defense Minister stated, among other things, that the war in Ukraine triggered multiple crises. He highlighted the role of the two countries’ Parliaments in creating the legislative framework for strengthening resilience, especially in the energy field. Vasile Dîncu also had a meeting with his counterpart Anatolie Nosatîi with whom he discussed the status and prospects of bilateral cooperation in the military field and the regional security situation. At the same time, he reiterated Romanias full support for Moldova’s advance on the European integration path and the development of its relations with the Euro-Atlantic structures.



    IAEA — The Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Mariano Grossi, will travel to Kyiv and Moscow next week. According to an IAEA press release, the visit is part of ongoing efforts to “implement as soon as possible a nuclear safety and security zone around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant”. On the other hand, Germany has announced that it will deliver to Ukraine the first of its four advanced IRIS-T air defense systems to help it repel drone attacks. The announcement was made on Saturday by the German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht during a surprise visit to Odessa. The Black Sea port has been, in recent days, the target of Russian attacks with Iranian-made kamikaze drones. On the ground, Russia announced that it had withdrawn its troops from the strategic Ukrainian city of Liman, amid fears that thousands of Russian soldiers would be surrounded by Ukrainian troops in the city. Retaking the city of Liman is of significant strategic importance for Ukraine, considering that it is located in the Donetsk region, one of the four regions annexed according to the Russian President Vladimir Putin.



    Nord Stream — Germany announced on Saturday that it would set up a joint team with Denmark and Sweden to investigate the leaks that affected the Nord Stream gas pipelines. According to Interior Minister Nancy Faeser, the team will call on the expertise of the “navy, police and intelligence services”, following the explosions that damaged the Nord Stream underwater gas pipelines. The origin of the explosions is not yet known. The Nord Stream 1 (stopped since the end of August) and 2 (not operational) gas pipelines were strategic installations for the direct delivery of Russian gas to Germany. A spokesman for the operator of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, from Russia, said that there were no more gas leaks from it into the Baltic Sea. Huge amounts of methane gas have leaked from the pipeline in recent days. In the context, the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, announced that the EU leaders would discuss the security of the EUs critical infrastructures, on the occasion of the informal summit scheduled for October 7 in Prague, after the damage to the Nord Stream gas pipelines, which European officials described as sabotage.



    Justice — As of Monday, the MPs from the Special Committee on Justice Laws will resume the debates on the three bills submitted by the Government. This week, the Committee ended the debates on the articles of the bill on the status of magistrates, adopting several amendments. One of them concerns the appointment of high-ranking prosecutors. Therefore, the general prosecutor of Romania could be appointed not only from among prosecutors, but also from among judges. The vote on the report for this bill is scheduled for Monday. As of Tuesday, debates will start in the special committee on the amendments submitted by senators to the draft law on the organization and functioning of the Superior Council of Magistracy. The bill on the status of judges and prosecutors is the law from the package of Justice laws debated by the committee, after those related to the Superior Council of Magistracy and the organization of the judiciary, which have already been adopted by the plenum of the Chamber of Deputies. This is the first body referred to in the case of the three laws, with the Senate being the decision-making body. (LS)

  • October 1, 2022

    October 1, 2022

    Ukraine — The NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg denounced Russias “illegal and illegitimate” annexation of four regions of Ukraine and warned Moscow not to use nuclear weapons in this conflict, AFP reports. “Ukraine has of course the right to retake Ukrainian territory which is now occupied by Russian forces. Thats the reason why we support them” he told a press conference in Brussels, after the Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the annexation of the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. Ukraine reacted to the annexation of its four regions by demanding accelerated accession to NATO. Zelenski also accused Russia of redrawing borders through murder, blackmail, mistreatment and lies. The annexation of the Ukrainian territories by Russia was vehemently condemned by the West, and the USA, Great Britain and Canada almost immediately announced new sanctions against Moscow. The European Commission, in turn, demanded the tightening of conditions for the entry of Russian citizens into the EU bloc, and the leaders of the Council of Europe, an organization that guarantees human rights on the continent and to which Russia is no longer affiliated, also condemned Moscows action. A condemnation of the annexation in the UN Security Council was however blocked by Russias veto. China and India, which are its close partners, abstained from the vote. The annexation of the four Ukrainian regions was also firmly condemned by Romania, which does not recognize and will never recognize the referendums illegally orchestrated by Moscow, according to President Klaus Iohannis. In a Facebook post, the Romanian president also recalled the joint statement of the European Council, which rejected and unequivocally condemned the illegal annexation of the Ukrainian regions.



    Interconnector — The Romanian Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă participates Saturday in Sofia, in Bulgaria, in the event launching the commercial operation of the Greece-Bulgaria Interconnector. “It is a moment that we are awaiting with great interest and hope, and that will open an important stage in the efforts we are making together at the European level to ensure our energy needs, while reducing, at the same time, dependence on Russian gas. Gas imports from Azerbaijan through this interconnector represent a viable alternative source from now on, which will ensure Romania and other states located on the distribution diagram of this gas network access to the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline”, said the Prime Minister Ciucă. On the occasion of the visit to Sofia, the Romanian PM will meet with the President of Bulgaria, Rumen Radev, with the interim Bulgarian Prime Minister, Galab Donev, as well as with officials from other countries, including the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, and the Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis.



    Visit — The Romanian Defense Minister Vasile Dîncu is paying a two-day official visit to Chisinau as of Saturday. According to a Defense Ministry press release, the Romanian official today has talks with his Moldovan counterpart, Anatolie Nosatîi. The official agenda also includes meetings with Natalia Gavriliţa, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova, and with Igor Grosu, the President of the Moldovan Parliament. The agenda of the Romanian delegation also includes a visit to the Agency for Military Science and Memory and to the Military Museum in Chişinău.



    Recession — Analysts believe that the world economy is approaching a period of recession. In their opinion, the world is witnessing a new world order and a resettlement of monetary flows and policies that will be negotiated between China and the US. According to Andrei Rădulescu, director of macroeconomic analysis, the recent developments of indicators in the United States and in the euro zone clearly express the state of recession in the second half of this year, so, an economic crisis similar to that of the late 90s will follow. Also a social crisis is expected in Europe, Adrian Rădulescu believes, which will not be felt so acutely in Romania, because the degree of dependence on hydrocarbons imports from Russia is much lower. In his opinion, Romania can enter the top of ten European economies by the end of the decade from the perspective of the nominal gross domestic product, because the country has a younger population compared to the western states, and the investments of the Euro-Atlantic bloc in the national economy will continue.



    Energy – European energy ministers have decided to tax the additional income made by producers in the field that exceed a maximum level of 180 Euros for one Megawatt-hour between December 1, 2022 and June 30, 2023. The money will be used to finance the protection measures for final electricity consumers. The European officials also aim at a voluntary reduction in electricity consumption by 10%, with a mandatory component of 5% during peak hours, in the context of the energy crisis caused by the war in Ukraine. The Romanian energy minister, Virgil Popescu, announced that, during the negotiations, Romania obtained the guarantee that the measures already adopted at the national level regarding the consumer protection can be maintained. (LS)

  • Romania and the crisis in Ukraine

    Romania and the crisis in Ukraine

    Cyber-attacks, espionage activities and fake news phenomena have intensified in Romania, in the current regional context – said the director of the Romanian Intelligence Service – SRI, Eduard Hellvig. Heard in the standing joint committee of the Romanian Chamber of Deputies and the Senate in charge of exercising parliamentary control over SRIs work, Hellvig presented a security analysis from the perspective of SRIs legal responsibilities and in the context of the tense situation in neighboring Ukraine. According to a SRI statement, director Hellvig called for the updating of the national security law package, all the more so as the regional security environment is constantly changing.



    Also in Bucharest, the defense minister Vasile Dîncu said that, in case of an armed conflict, Romania is ready to receive over 500 thousand refugees from Ukraine. “There is a plan in this regard that is being prepared in all major cities, there are areas dedicated to this purpose near the borders” minister Dîncu explained. Romania and the neighboring Ukraine share a common border of more than 600 kilometers.



    The Romanian community in Ukraine numbers over 400 thousand people, most of them concentrated in northern Bukovina, northern and southern Bessarabia and Herța Land, the Romanian territories annexed by the former Stalinist Soviet Union in 1940 and taken over by Ukraine as a successor state in 1991, with the disintegration of the USSR.



    In another development, Romania has decided to send medical products to Ukraine such as analgesics, anti-inflammatory drugs, antibiotics and disinfectants. The aid is provided through the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism and is a response to the request for emergency assistance made by the Kiev administration to the European Commission. Alongside Romania, Austria, France, Ireland and Slovenia will provide community aid to Ukraine. As the geopolitical crisis may worsen the energy crisis, the Romanian authorities have given reassuring signals on this issue.



    A conflict in Ukraine will not cause problems with the gas supply of neighboring Romania, which, with the arrival of spring, can ensure its entire consumption from domestic sources – says the energy minister, Virgil Popescu. The decision-makers, he added, are looking into ways to diversify import routes and are also considering sources of gas other than the intermediaries of Russias energy giant Gazprom.



    The local think tank Expert Forum (EFOR) writes, in its annual report for 2022, that energy prices have risen due to the gas deficit, deliberately deepened by Gazprom since the summer. According to EFOR, the Russian giant has honored its contracts with Europeans at the last minute, emptying its gas storage facilities in Europe since the summer, and has delivered as little gas as possible in the pipelines. In general, Gazproms strategy was to abuse European rules while formally respecting them, just to show that the European rules are faulty – concludes the report written by the Romanian experts. (LS)

  • February 18, 2022 UPDATE

    February 18, 2022 UPDATE

    Coronavirus Ro — In Romania the number of new COVID-19 cases is dropping, while the number of related deaths remains quite high. 14,524 new cases and 135 deaths – of which 10 from the previous days were reported on Friday. The health minister Alexandru Rafila and those in charge of managing the crisis are talking about a gradual relaxation, by fields of activity, which might start in two or three weeks’ time. As to vaccination, more than 8.1 million people have been vaccinated with the first doze, and 2.5 million with the 2nd one.



    Brussels – Romania’s President, Klaus Iohannis, on Friday met in Brussels with the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola. The two discussed security developments in the EUs Eastern Neighborhood, the support for the Republic of Moldova’ EU accession, energy security, the package of measures to combat climate change and the enlargement of the Schengen area. The meeting took place on the sidelines of the Romanian President’s participation in the 6th European Union-African Union Summit, held on Thursday and Friday in Brussels. President Iohannis underlined that for Romania, education is traditionally an important area of ​​cooperation with Africa. He pointed out that thousands of African citizens are using their skills acquired in Romanian universities to serve their countries and to help build bridges. More than 17,500 young Africans have studied at Romanian universities in the last five years alone, and around 3,500 students from at least 40 African countries are getting enrolled in universities each year. Their presence in Romania enriches the academic life and stimulates a better understanding between the people from the two continents, shows a communiqué of the Romanian Presidential Administration.



    Berlin – The Romanian defense minister, Vasile Dîncu, participates, between February 18-20, in the Munich Security Conference, where talks will focus on the context created by the massive deployment of Russian troops on the borders of Ukraine. According to a Defense Ministry communiqué, the officials will also address issues related to the importance of nuclear security, risk reduction in this area and transparency in terms of disarmament and non-proliferation, for global and regional stability and security. Topics such as climate change and hybrid threats will also be approached. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in Munich on Friday that the escalation of clashes in eastern Ukraine was a “challenging scenario” designed by Russia to justify an attack on Ukraine. ‘Although we are doing everything in our power to make it clear that there is a diplomatic way’, ‘we are deeply concerned that this is not the way Russia has embarked on’ the US Secretary of State said.



    Tennis — The Romanian tennis player Simona Halep has failed to qualify to the final of the WTA 500 tournament in Dubai, which has total prizes worth approximately 800 thousand dollars. She was defeated in the semifinals by Latvian Jelena Ostapenko, in three sets: 6 – 2, 6 – 7, 0 – 6. Halep won the Dubai tournament twice, in 2015 and 2020.



    Transports — Three employers organizations of Romanian road haulers are preparing to organize street protests if the Government does not intervene for capping the prices of motor liability insurance (RCA), shows a communiqué issued on Friday by the Confederation of Romanian Authorized Operators and Carriers (COTAR). The president of this confederation, Vasile Ştefănescu, pointed out that the increase in the price of motor liability insurance policies will have the effect of bankrupting the road transport companies, which means that Romania will get blocked. The employers organization recalls that in recent years the Financial Supervisory Authority has identified, on several occasions, violations of the law by insurance companies, increases in tariffs made even after capping, non-transparent tariffs which included all operating costs of insurance companies, although these companies have several business lines. The finance minister, Adrian Câciu, said on Friday that a law that will limit the price of insurance policies for 6 months was put out for public debate, adding that he was convinced that the bill will be adopted by the government as a matter of urgency. (LS)

  • January 27, 2022

    January 27, 2022

    COVID-19 — A total of 31,683 new cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection have been registered in the last 24 hours in Romania. It is the second day in a row with over 30,000 cases. 71 deaths were also reported. The Health Minister, Alexandru Rafila, pointed out that the COVID-19 outbreaks in some hospitals are not a cause for concern, but solutions are being sought for the free testing of the medical staff. The vaccination of children aged between 5 and 11 started in Romania on Wednesday. Currently, more than 8 million people have been vaccinated with the first dose.



    Visit — The Romanian Defense Minister, Vasile Dîncu, has said today, fresh from a meeting, in Bucharest, with his French counterpart, Mrs. Florence Parly, that Romania is in a special partnership with France. He has highlighted that Romania can count on France’s firm support which was confirmed by the recent statement of President Emmanuel Macron, in which he announced that his country was ready to contribute NATO troops to Romania. Romania is concerned about recent developments in the region and hopes that dialogue and understanding between the sides in conflict will prevail – said Minister Vasile Dîncu, who also welcomed the announcement of US President Joe Biden on boosting the US contribution to the deterrence and defense posture in the Black Sea area, a proof of transatlantic solidarity. The French Defense Minister, Mrs. Florence Parly, who is on a visit to Romania, also has meetings with President Klaus Iohannis and the Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca.



    Ukraine — On Wednesday the United States and NATO presented written answers to Russias request that NATO should withdraw its troops from Romania and Bulgaria and not accept Ukraine and Georgia among its allies. The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said that NATO is not abandoning its open door policy and has proposed Moscow a diplomatic way to avoid war. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg also believes that a political solution to the crisis is still possible if Russia makes efforts to deescalate tensions. On the other hand, France and Germany, mediators in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, received a good signal from Russia, even though the meeting in Paris was difficult – the French presidency announced. A 9-hour meeting of political advisers from the four countries took place in Paris on Wednesday. Talks under Franco-German mediation will continue in two weeks’ time in Berlin.



    Holocaust – On Thursday, January 27, on the International Holocaust Remembrance Day or the International Day in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust, the Romanian Foreign Ministry officials paid tribute to the victims of the Holocaust, a tragic chapter in history and expressed solidarity with the survivors of the World War II atrocities. The Romanian Foreign Ministry officials have shown that Romania is one of the countries that has assumed its own past and is committed to keeping its memory alive for future generations, to protect the remaining survivors and to fight anti-Semitism and any manifestations of intolerance and discrimination. (…) This year it’s 77 years since the liberation of the Nazi concentration and extermination camp in Auschwitz-Birkenau, where more than a million men, women and children lost their lives, 90% of whom were Jews mostly from Poland and Hungary. All in all, between 1941 and 1945, more than 6 million Jews were systematically killed in Europe by the Nazis and their collaborators. On the occasion of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, the presidents of the European Union’s three main institutions drew attention to the rise of anti-Semitic attitude and the proliferation of hate speech in recent years and asked for deterring such attitudes. (…) There are currently almost 166,000 Holocaust survivors living in Israel, with an average age of 85 years. About 60% are women, and around 64% come from Europe, most from the former USSR, and also from Romania (12%), Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary and Germany.



    Traffic Code – Today, in the third session of this week, the Romanian Government is sanctions for aggressive drivers and those who endanger traffic safety. The driving license will be suspended for 4 months in the case of speeding drivers and very high fines will be given for harassment in traffic. Also today, the Executive will approve the financing contract signed by Romania with the European Investment Bank, worth 305 million Euros, for funding the Cluj Regional Hospital (northwest). Another law on the government’s agenda establishes a new state aid to reduce the excise duty on diesel fuel used in agriculture. (LS)