Radio România Internațional

Tag: eastern

  • AWACS aircraft in Romania

    AWACS aircraft in Romania

    The
    most severe security crisis of the past decades, triggered at NATO’s eastern
    borders with the Russian invasion of Ukraine, forced the Alliance to move
    quickly to strengthen its eastern flank, which includes Romania as well.


    As
    many as 5,000 Allied troops are now on Romanian territory, and the
    multi-national Allied elements which were part of NATO’s Response Force prior
    to the conflict were turned into a NATO battle group spearheaded by France.


    The
    eastern flank bolstering process does not end here. As Russia’s illegal war in
    Ukraine continues to threaten peace and security in Europe, there must be no
    doubt about NATO’s resolve to protect and defend every inch of Allied territory,
    the Alliance emphasised in a recent news release announcing the deployment of 3
    AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System) planes to Romania.


    The
    aircraft, regularly stationed in Germany, have been deployed to an air base
    near Bucharest, together with 180 specialised troops. They will conduct recon
    and surveillance missions in the Alliance’s eastern part. The planes are
    equipped with state-of-the-art equipment able to track and identify other
    aircraft over 400 km away. But they do not carry weapons, and are only used as
    air command posts. General Daniel Petrescu, chief of staff, spoke about the
    importance of this mission:


    Daniel
    Petrescu: Since February 2022, AWACS planes have conducted regular patrol
    missions in Eastern Europe and in the Baltic Sea region. The joint missions to
    be carried out here will also bring value added in terms of enhanced cohesion
    between the Romanian staff and the personnel of the NATO fleet, as well as in
    terms of inter-operability.


    The
    German troops’ AWACS mission in Romania is an important signal of
    trans-Atlantic and European solidarity, the German Ambassador to Bucharest said
    in his turn. According to him, this mission being commanded by the German
    brigadier general Stefan Neumann and the large number of German servicemen
    participating in it once again prove that we stand by our Romanian partners.


    With
    the help of the surveillance planes, the German diplomat added, an important
    contribution is made to strengthening the south-eastern flank and to supporting
    the NATO early warning system. Brigadier general Stefan Neumann said he was
    impressed with the professional and flexible support provided by the Romanian
    forces to this mission, which in his opinion once again proves how well NATO
    operates. With the Airborne Early Warning and Control System, NATO has a strong
    and flexible airborne and maritime surveillance capacity, the German official
    added. (AMP)

  • Central and Eastern European support for Ukraine

    Central and Eastern European support for Ukraine

    Russia’s announced
    annexation of 4 regions in the east of neighbouring Ukraine-Donetsk, Luhansk,
    Kherson and Zaporizhzhia-following sham referendums has been firmly criticised
    and condemned by Western countries.


    After Russia’s president
    Vladimir Putin organised a ceremony in Moscow, proclaiming the 4
    partly-occupied regions Russian territory, the president of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy
    responded with an application for fast-track NATO membership.


    Alongside the presidents of
    other Central and Eastern European NATO member states, including the Czech
    Republic, North Macedonia, Poland, Montenegro, Slovakia, Estonia, Latvia and
    Lithuania, the president of Romania Klaus Iohannis signed a joint
    declaration reiterating support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial
    integrity.


    We, Presidents of states
    in Central and Eastern Europe, countries whose leaders have visited Kyiv during
    the war and witnessed with their own eyes the effects of Russian aggression,
    cannot stay silent in the face of the blatant violation of international law by
    the Russian Federation, and therefore are issuing the following statement: We
    reiterate our support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.
    We do not recognize and will never recognize Russian attempts to annex any
    Ukrainian territory,ˮ reads the joint statement.


    The signatories say they
    firmly support the decision made at the 2008 NATO Summit in Bucharest regarding
    Ukraine’s future accession to the organisation. They also call on Moscow to
    immediately pull out of all the occupied territories.


    We support Ukraine in
    its defence against Russia’s invasion, demand Russia to immediately withdraw
    from all the occupied territories and encourage all Allies to substantially
    increase their military aid to Ukraine. All those who commit crimes of
    aggression must be held accountable and brought to justice, the document also
    reads.


    Ukraine’s presidential
    adviser Mykhailo Podolyak thanked the countries that back Ukraine’s NATO
    accession. We are grateful for the leadership and responsibility. History is
    being made today,ˮ he posted on Twitter.


    In turn, the NATO
    secretary general Jens Stoltenberg said a decision on Kyiv’s accession
    application must be taken by all the 30 member countries, and reiterated the
    alliance’s open-door policy. Any nation, including, of course, Ukraine, has the
    right to choose its own path, including the security arrangements it wants to
    join, Jens Stoltenberg also pointed out. He added that at present the main
    priority for the Allies and their partners is to support Ukraine.


    The US and Canada have
    also backed Ukraine’s NATO accession, but without making any reference to the
    fast-track procedure requested by Kyiv. (A.M.P.)

  • Strengthening NATO’s eastern flank, a priority

    Strengthening NATO’s eastern flank, a priority

    Consolidating the eastern
    flank of NATO is, in the context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a priority
    for the members of the organisation. At an informal meeting of the NATO foreign
    ministers in Berlin, the Romanian diplomacy chief Bogdan Aurescu emphasised the
    importance of the long-term consolidation of NATO’s deterrence and defence posture
    on the eastern flank, particularly at the Black Sea, in a balanced and unified
    manner.



    Minister Aurescu said the decision
    made by the Allied leaders at their Summit on 24 March, concerning the set-up
    of 4 new battle groups, one of them in Romania, is an especially useful first
    step in this respect, and thanked the Allied states involved. The talks in
    Berlin concerned NATO’s open door policy, the war in Ukraine and its impact on
    Euro-Atlantic security. Bogdan Aurescu said Romania was in favour of a quick
    accession of Finland and Sweden to the organisation, and pointed out that the 2
    countries’ membership will consolidate the Alliance as a whole, making it
    stronger.


    On the one hand, Romania
    is a firm supporter of the open-door policy, which has many benefits for the entire
    Alliance, and we know, from our own experience, how important it was for
    reforming Romania,ˮ the foreign minister said. At the same time, he added, Bucharest
    feels that the accession of these 2 states will consolidate the Alliance on the
    whole and we believe that, with Finland and Sweden members of the Alliance, the
    deterrence posture will be more efficient and defence more consolidated.ˮ


    Another topic approached
    at the Berlin meeting was the preparation of the decisions to be made at the
    Madrid Summit at the end of June, and during the working session the Romanian
    official pointed out that with these decisions, the Madrid Summit is likely to
    be a fundamental milestone in the history of the Alliance.


    Bogdan Aurescu highlighted that the new strategic concept to be endorsed by NATO
    leaders at the end of June, will define the Alliance’s profile and major lines
    of action for the next decade at least. He also emphasised the importance of this
    strategic document taking into account, in a realistic and adequate manner, the
    new security context facing the organisation, by highlighting the main threats
    and challenges and ensuring an efficient and proportionate response capacity. Minister
    Aurescu also said the new strategic concept should reflect the fact that Russia
    remains the main challenge for the Alliance. (A.M.P.)

  • May 10, 2021 UPDATE

    May 10, 2021 UPDATE

    COVID-19 The government of Romania decided to extend the state of alert across the country by another 30 days beginning on 13 of May, and scrapped the ban on attending religious events outside citizens residence town or villages, the chief of the Directorate for Emergency Situations Raed Arafat announced. Cinema and theatre halls will reopen at 50% of their capacity in pilot events, allowing only people who have recovered from SARS-CoV-2 or who have tested negative for the virus. Sports events will also be attended by people who have received the vaccine. 620 new infections with the SARS-CoV-2 were reported on Monday in Romania for the past 24 hours out of more than 10,700 tests carried out across the country, says the Strategic Communication Group. Another 68 people have died, bringing the death toll to 29,034. 1,066,731 infections have been confirmed in Romania since the beginning of the pandemic and 1,015,092 patients have recovered. 962 patients are presently in intensive care. The regions with the highest infection rates in the past 14 days have been the capital city Bucharest and Cluj in western Romania. These two regions are the only ones still in the so-called yellow zone in terms of infections. Romania’s vaccine rollout continues with a series of vaccination marathons, including an 8-day campaign in Craiova, in the south. Over 3.6 million people have so far got the booster dose.



    SUMMIT The president of Romania Klaus Iohannis said on Monday that the security situation at the Black Sea was disquieting, which is why NATO must continue to strengthen its deterrence and defence posture, especially in the eastern flank, in a unitary and coherent manner. “This is why we pleaded, including in my discussion with the US president Joe Biden, for enhanced presence of the Allied military forces, US forces included, in Romania and in NATOs eastern flank, Klaus Iohannis said at the end of the Bucharest Format Summit B9, in his joint statement together with his Polish counterpart, Andrzej Duda. Attending online the summit hosted by the president of Romania Klaus Iohannis, together with his Polish counterpart Andrzej Duda, were the US president Joe Biden, the NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg and the other heads of government in the Bucharest Format—Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Hungary.



    VISIT The president of Romania Klaus Iohannis said on Monday that he discussed with his Polish counterpart Andrzej Duda the strengthening and broadening of the bilateral strategic partnership. The Polish president is on an official visit to Romania. On Tuesday the 2 officials will attend ‘Justice Sword 21’, a military exercise held at the Smârdan Base (eastern Romania), in which Polish troops and equipment deployed to Romania are also taking part.



    PLAN Romanian Prime Minister Florin Citu is this week going to Brussels to present the development projects included in the latest version of the country’s Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP). Upon the latest talks with the European Commission representatives, authorities in Bucharest say that none of the projects included in the plan have been scrapped but the sums allotted have been seriously trimmed. The initial version of the plan had a budget of 42 billion euros, over 12 billion more than it can get from the EU. The RRP presently boasts a 3.7 billion euro budget for education as well as for other projects, such as the A7 motorway section linking the cities of Ploiesti to Buzau in the country’s south-east.



    PANDEMIC About 159 million people have got infected with the novel coronavirus since the onset of the pandemic the world over and more than 3.3 million have died, according to the latest updates on worldometers.info. Europe announces new relaxation measures as infection numbers are dropping. After more than six months of severe restrictions, Italy gives up the quarantine imposed on foreign tourists, while Germany eases restrictions for the people who got both vaccine doses. Some restrictions are also lifted in Spain, although only 12% of its population has been vaccinated. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson Monday confirmed relaxed measures in Britain where more than two thirds of the adults have got the first jab. The number of infections in India has dropped below 400 thousand a day and the number of deaths has also started to decrease after two days to around 4 thousand. (tr. A.M. Popescu, bill)

  • May 13, 2019 UPDATE

    May 13, 2019 UPDATE

    JUDICIARY The European Commission confirmed on Monday that its first vice-president, Frans Timmermans, sent a new letter to the Romanian authorities on Friday, warning against the developments related to the rule of law in Romania. As the EC spokesman Margaritis Schinas put it, “The main concerns relate to developments interfering with judicial independence and the effective fight against corruption, including the protection of financial interests of the EU and particularly to the recently adopted amendments to the criminal code that create a de facto impunity for crimes. He added that unless these concerns are addressed or if further negative measures are taken, such as the promulgation of the latest amendments to the criminal legislation, the Commission will immediately activate the rules for safeguarding the rule of law and will suspend the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism. This is the instrument used by the Commission to monitor developments in the Romanian judiciary ever since the country joined the bloc in 2007. On April 24, the European Commission announced it would closely monitor the draft amendments to the Criminal Code and Code of Criminal Procedure, adopted by the Chamber of Deputies, and reiterated that Romania must immediately resume reforms in this field.



    EASTERN PARTNERSHIP Brussels is hosting for 2 days several events marking the 10th anniversary of the Eastern partnership. Romania is represented by the head of state, Klaus Iohannis, and the foreign minister, Teodor Melescanu. Officials for the 28 EU member states and the 6 partner states, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine, are assessing the progress made in an ambitious schedule for the coming year, aimed at ensuring concrete benefits for the citizens of the entire region, by means of efforts targeting stronger economies, governments and societies. The Eastern Partnership is an initiative that consists in the creation of a common area of democracy, prosperity, stability and close cooperation between the EU and the partner countries.



    POLL The Army, the Church and the Romanian Academy are the institutions Romanian trust the most, according to the public opinion Barometre released on Monday by the Romanian Academy. The survey indicates that 68% of the respondents have “a lot of confidence in the Army, around 57% in the Church and over 45% in the Romanian Academy. Next come, in descending order, the Police, the Presidency, the National Bank of Romania, the City Hall, the Mass Media, the Constitutional Court, the Government, Parliament and the political parties. As for the international institutions, Romanians have “a lot of confidence in NATO – over 56%, EU – more than 55%, the UN – over 52%. The survey was conducted between April 12 and May 3.



    CORRUPTION The Bucharest Court Monday sentenced a former mayor of Bucharest, Sorin Oprescu, to four and a half years in prison for bribe-taking, and dismissed the charges of money laundering. The ruling is not final and may be appealed against. In November 2015, the National Anti-Corruption Directorate indicted Sorin Oprescu for bribe-taking, money laundering, abuse of office and forming an organised crime group. Sorin Oprescu, a former member of the Social Democratic Party, was elected mayor of Bucharest in 2008, running as a non-affiliated candidate, and won a second term in office in 2012.



    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)