Radio România Internațional

Tag: foreign

  • 140 years of Romanian-Spanish diplomatic relations

    140 years of Romanian-Spanish diplomatic relations

    Upon celebrating 140 years of diplomatic relations between Romania and Spain, the Romanian foreign ministry appreciated the excellent political dialogue, shaped by shared views and the convergence of opinions on most topics on the European and international agenda.



    The institution says in a news release that the two countries, located at opposite ends of the EU, share the goal of projecting common European values to the Unions eastern and southern neighbourhood. In this respect, protecting universal human rights and promoting peaceful resolution of any differences remain fundamental elements of the two countries international stance.



    According to the Romanian foreign ministry, “beyond the political dialogue, the cultural and linguistic dialogue, underlain by our Latin roots and reinforced by growing cooperation, as well as the convergence of goals at EU, NATO and multilateral level, have fuelled the steady development of our bilateral relations.



    The foreign ministry also notes that the most important role is played by the Romanian community in Spain, which has reached an exceptional integration level and is a bridge connecting the two states.



    Recently, Spains ministry for inclusion, social security and migration announced that at the end of last year the number of Romanian nationals in Spain was over 1 million, making them the largest foreign community in that country. In this context, the Romanian authorities emphasised that the contribution of the Romanian citizens living in Spain is vital to the host countrys economy, and is facilitated by the openness of the Spanish society.



    The bilateral economic cooperation is also important, with over 6,200 companies running on nearly 1.8 billion euro worth of Spanish capital in Romania at the end of last year. Spain is thus the 8th-largest foreign investor in Romania.



    The diplomatic relations between Romania and Spain date back to 23 June 1881. In June 1913, George Cretzianu was appointed Romanias extraordinary envoy and plenipotentiary minister to the Kingdom of Spain, and was the first Romanian ambassador to reside in Madrid. Bilateral diplomatic relations were briefly suspended after World War Two, but subsequently upgraded to embassy level in 1977. Spain was one of the first countries to actively support Romanias EU and NATO accession. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

  • Foreign Ministry discusses topical issues

    Foreign Ministry discusses topical issues

    Romania has ‘exceptionally good relations with Israel, which is a strategic partner to Bucharest, but it also has ‘very good relations with the Palestinian side. The statement was made on a private tv station by the foreign minister, Bogdan Aurescu, who discussed the severe security situation in Israel and Gaza.



    The Romanian diplomat firmly condemned the rocket attacks from the territory controlled by the Islamist group Hamas over civilian targets in Israel. “We have voiced our deep regret for the loss of human lives and the hopes that this will not happen again. Unfortunately, such situations still occur, the Romanian official said.



    According to Aurescu, around 320-350 Romanian nationals, including people with dual citizenship, are currently in Gaza Strip, and the diplomatic missions in the region have been instructed to provide support to them, should such support be requested.



    Apart from this most important international issue at the moment, the Romanian diplomacy chief also discussed the delicate topic of the visas still required for the Romanian citizens who want to travel to the US, in spite of the strong strategic partnership between Washington and Bucharest and the EU criticism of the US.



    Bulgarians, Croatians, Cypriots and Romanians are the only EU citizens who need visas in order to enter the US, and the European Parliament has requested the Commission to activate the visa reciprocity mechanism and to suspend for one year the waiver of visa requirements for US citizens.



    This however is not a file of special political and diplomatic nature, but rather a technical matter. Minister Bogdan Aurescu explained that Romanians still need visas for the US because the rejection rate of 9-10% of the total number of applications is higher than the 3% ceiling admitted under the US law. Romania meets all the other criteria stipulated by the American legislation, except for the one concerning the rejection rate.



    This situation cannot be blamed on either the Romanian or the US authorities, but is related to the failure of some Romanian visa applicants to meet relevant requirements, Aurescu emphasised.



    He added that he had discussed the matter with the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken. The two agreed that a joint Romanian-American information campaign is needed for the Romanian nationals who want to travel to the US, so as to make applicants seeking short-term stay visas in the US aware of the prerequisites for obtaining one. Those who find they do not meet these prerequisites might thus refrain from applying, and the rejection rate would therefore drop.



    There have been initiatives in the US Congress regarding possible exceptions from the visa requirements for citizens of allied countries, but such initiatives have failed, the foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu also said. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

  • May 13, 2021

    May 13, 2021

    ALERT As of today, the state of alert in Romania is extended by another month. Some restrictions have been lifted, however, such as the one regarding participation in religious processions or pilgrimages. Other measures still remain in place. Pilot cultural and sports events will also be organised, with attendance allowed for people who have got the vaccine, who have recovered from COVID-19 in the past 3 months, or who test negative for the disease. Private or public celebrations or parties, whether indoors or outdoors, are still banned.



    COVID-19 President Klaus Iohannis has a working meeting scheduled today with PM Florin Cîţu, several other Cabinet members, the head of the Department for Emergency Situations, Raed Arafat, and the head of the National Infectious Disease Monitoring and Control Centre with the Public Health Institute, Adriana Pistol. Also attending will be deputy PM Dan Barna, the interior minister Lucian Bode, the defence minister Nicolae Ciucă, and the health minister Ioana Mihăilă. The meeting will focus on the lifting of COVID-19 containment measures. Some 130,000 AstraZeneca vaccine doses are scheduled to reach Bucharest today. So far, Romania has received over 2.2 million vaccine doses from the British-Swedish company. More than 3.7 million people have received Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca jabs in Romania, and two-thirds of them have also got the booster dose. Meanwhile, the entire country is in the so-called green scenario. According to the Strategic Communication Group, the SARS-CoV-2 infection rate in Bucharest is 1.42 per thousand. On Thursday 953 new COVID-19 cases and 75 related deaths were reported, as well as 829 patients in intensive care.



    CONFERENCE The Romanian foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu and his Greek counterpart Nikos Dendias co-chair today an informal conference call of EU foreign ministers. Also attending the online meeting are the foreign ministers of Albania, Olta Xhacka and of North Macedonia, Bujar Osmani, as well as EU officials. According to the Romanian foreign ministry, Bogdan Aurescu will emphasise that ‘the EU enlargement process must remain a major priority for the Union, given the transforming power of this European policy.’ Todays meeting takes place after a recent meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council, which included a strategic discussion on the Western Balkans, at the request of Romania and other member states.



    VISIT The Romanian Senate Speaker Anca Dragu is on a 3-day official visit to Spain, as of today, at the invitation of her counterpart Maria Pilar Llop Cuenca. The visit is aimed at strengthening political dialogue and the traditional friendship between the 2 countries. On the same occasion, in the Patio de los Naranjos Hall of the Spanish Senate, an Exhibition of Romanian and Spanish Diplomatic Archives will be opened. The exhibition is devoted to the 140 years of diplomatic relations between the 2 countries. The Romanian delegation will also have online meetings with members of the Romanian community in Spain, and will visit the NATO Combined Air Operations Centre and the EU Satellite Centre.



    CORRUPTION The former mayor of Bucharests Sector 5, Marian Vanghelie, was sentenced on Thursday to 11 years and 8 months in prison, in a corruption case. The ruling is not final. He was also ordered to pay damages of over 15 million euro to the Bucharest Sector 5 City Hall. Marian Vanghelie was indicted in 2015 for 9 counts of bribe-taking and abuse of office and 7 counts of money laundering. According to the National Anti-Corruption Directorate, in 2006 – 2014, Marian Vanghelie, then a mayor, asked for and received undue benefits in the amount of nearly 30 million euro (accounting for a fee of 20% of the contracts). A former member of the Social Democratic Party (in opposition), Marian Vanghelie was a mayor between 2000 and 2016, and in the 2020 local elections he ran unsuccessfully for a new term in office.



    ISRAEL Hamas fired rockets on Tel Aviv and Jerusalem early on Thursday, with Israel promising to carry on strikes against the Islamist group in Gaza, although the US president Joe Biden had said the clashes, the most violent in recent years, will be over soon, Reuters reports. Over 1,000 rockets fired from Gaza strip on Monday hit Israel, and scores of people were killed and hundreds wounded so far, mostly Palestinians. The president of the European Council, Charles Michel, called for the de-escalation of the conflict.



    TENNIS The Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, number 3 in the world, announced having suffered a torn calf muscle which forced her out of the Italian Open, in Wednesdays match against Germanys Angelique Kerber. She says she will have an MRI investigation to determine how serious the injury is. The defending champion in Foro Italico, the Romanian player withdrew in the second set of the match against Kerber, after she had won the first set. Given the preliminary diagnosis, she risks missing the Roland Garros tournament due to start on May 30. Halep won the Paris tournament in 2018. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

  • April 23, 2021

    April 23, 2021

    COVID-19 The way out of the COVID-19 pandemic is mass vaccination, the president of Romania Klaus Iohannis said today. He added that containment measures will be eased out as the number of SARS-CoV-2 infections, of patients in ICUs and of COVID-related deaths decreases. Yesterday, at the end of the first meeting of an inter-ministry committee working to ensure Romanias return to normal as of June 1, PM Florin Cîțu said in his turn that the return to normal life is conditional on vaccination. The number of people who have received at least one vaccine dose in Romania is now over 2.8 million. Meanwhile, the authorities announced on Friday over 2,500 new infections in 24 hours, and 170 COVID-related deaths. Another 1,391 patients are in intensive care. Three counties in Romania, Bucharest, Ilfov in the south-east and Cluj in the centre, are still in the red zone, with little over 4 COVID cases per thousand inhabitants, while the other counties report rates below 3 per thousand.



    MEETING The Romania-Poland-Turkey trilateral meeting works very well, and its relevance and effectiveness have grown significantly, contributing in its 9 years of existence, to strengthening the North-Atlantic Alliance and to ensuring security in the eastern flank, including the Black Sea region, the Romanian foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu said. The Romanian official took part on Friday in the plenary session of the meeting, alongside his counterparts from Poland, Zbigniew Rau and Turkey, Mevlut Cavuşoglu. At the end of the meeting, the 3 foreign ministers signed a joint declaration, for the first time since the trilateral meeting has been held. Today the participants tackled security-related topics, with a focus on the regional situation, on the outcomes of the latest NATO minister-level meetings and on the prospects for this years summit of the Alliance. The 3 countries officials emphasised on Friday that they would like NATO to be a stronger political and military actor, with global reach. The participants also discussed the progress in implementing the projects selected in the 2020 trilateral meeting and the ways to strengthen trilateral dialogue, including by developing new projects.



    ECONOMY All EU member countries ended the year 2020 with budget deficit. According to Eurostat, Romania was among the states with the highest deficit figures, 9.2% of GDP, double the level reported the previous year. Eurostat preliminary data point to a skyrocketing budget deficit EU-wide, from 0.5% of GDP in 2019 to 6.9% last year. The highest levels, ranging between 11% and 9.5%, were reported in Spain, Malta, Greece, Italy, Belgium and France. Denmark is the only country that reported budget deficit below 3%.



    PANDEMIC Greece, one of Romanians summer holiday destinations of choice, was included by the Romanian authorities in the list of countries with high epidemic risk, due to the large number of coronavirus infections. The list now comprises 60 countries and regions. Alongside Greece, it also includes Turkey, Bulgaria, the Maldives, France, Italy, Austria, Germany and the US. Travellers returning from these countries must produce a negative COVID test before boarding the plane or coach. People having tested negative will still isolate for 10 days upon arrival. The measure does not apply for travellers having received both vaccine doses, or having recovered from the disease in the past 90 days. The total number of coronavirus infections is now over 145 million worldwide, with more than 123 million patients recovered and some 3 million deaths reported by worldometers.info. In Germany, a controversial law takes effect today, which grants more powers to the federal government. Italy has in turn extended the state of emergency until the end of July. France is lifting part of the restrictions as of 3 May, with children returning to schools, but with night curfews still in place.



    TENNIS Romanian player Simona Halep, seed no 2 in the WTA tournament in Stuttgart (Germany), plays today against Russias Ekaterina Alexandrova in the quarter-finals of the competition. On Thursday in the round of 16, Alexandrova defeated the Swiss Belinda Bencic 6-1, 7-5, whereas Halep beat the Czech Marketa Vondrousova 6-1, 6-3. Simona Halep and Ekaterina Alexandrova have played against each other 3 times so far, with the Russian winning 2 of the matches. Two other Romanian players, Sorana Cirstea and Ana Bogdan, take on Russias Veronika Kudermetova and Belgiums Fiona Ferro, respectively, in the quarter-finals of the Istanbul tournament. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

  • The Republic of Moldova restarts relations with strategic partners

    The Republic of Moldova restarts relations with strategic partners

    Around half of the nearly 4 million citizens of the Republic of Moldova are living and working abroad. It is thanks to them and the money they send back home that this corruption-marred country is not bankrupt. And it was also them who, in the mid-November election, tipped the scales in favour of the pro-Western Maia Sandu, who thus became the first woman president of this ex-Soviet republic with mostly Romanian-speaking population.



    Shortly after the official results confirmed her clear victory against the former, pro-Russian Socialist president Igor Dodon, Maia Sandu announced her priorities—the fight against corruption, the reform of public institutions and strengthening a state able to ensure decent living conditions for its citizens.



    In order to overcome poverty, the Republic of Moldova needs investments and jobs, so that those who are now living abroad may return and rebuild the country, analysts say. Foreign support is needed, and in this respect, ever since the first weeks of the new term in office Chișinău has made efforts to improve relations with its strategic partners, after Igor Dodon had frozen most external ties.



    The first official visit to the Republic of Moldova was that of the president of Romania Klaus Iohannis—a visit designed, according to Bucharest, to convey a strong support message, both for the new leader in Chişinău, and for the citizens of Moldova, in their efforts to strengthen democracy, to implement the rule of law irreversibly and to consolidate the countrys European path. The visit was also symbolic, after president Iohannis had declined visiting Moldova for 5 years. On the day of the Romanian presidents visit, Vlad Țurcanu, political commentator and columnist in Chişinău, told Radio Romania that things were returning to normal:



    Vlad Țurcanu: “In terms of emotions, we could say that blood is thicker than water, in the sense that, no matter how many political accidents we might have—and we are never safe from them in this quicksand land—at some point, things return to normal in this respect. In diplomatic terms, relations are at their peak today, after Mr. Iohannis avoided political and diplomatic relations with the outgoing president Igor Dodon. And after todays meeting, we expect other relations as well to be resumed, after this period of apathy. Although relations were not completely severed, as it happened in 2009 when a Romanian ambassador was removed from the country, there were artificial stand-offs in certain sectors.



    Within weeks, we managed to restart relations with our neighbours and strategic partners, Romania and Ukraine, after a period in which top-level relations were frozen because of Chişinăus hostile policies to both Bucharest and Kyiv, Maia Sandu said in her turn:



    Maia Sandu: “Another major partner with which we need to reset our relations is the EU. We intend to resume Moldovas efforts to get closer to the EU through economic and democratic reforms, able to turn Moldova into a European state, with European institutions, European-standard schools, hospitals and motorways, with a European future, to the exclusive benefit of all citizens.



    Chişinăus departure from the principles of democracy at the time prompted Brussels to freeze, in 2018, most of its financial assistance to the Republic of Moldova. At present, determined to restore these relations, Maia Sandu has had meetings with all Brussels leaders. And she was given assurances that her country will be supported by the Union in its efforts to reform and to strengthen democracy, and in the fight against the COVID-19. In the coming period, Maia Sandu needs to strengthen her political position in Chişinău, analyst Vlad Țurcanu says. This year will likely bring early elections, to enable the new president, if possible, to rely on a parliamentary majority and a government backing her political and diplomatic efforts:



    Vlad Țurcanu: “It is however quite possible for this first year of Maia Sandus term to be a year of sacrifice, of carrying on the battle against Dodon and the loose ends of the oligarchy, which are still rather strong. Because the billion dollars stolen in 2014 has returned to the Republic of Moldova and is wreaking havoc, in the sense that many politicians are bought and manipulated as desired by a particular person. But Maia Sandu is only at the beginning of her term in office. And having come out of nowhere to the top position in the state, I believe she still definitely has that energy that has carried her to the president post. She enjoys huge citizen support against the alliance of parties that are not willing to lose control over the system, over financial flows, and through this on the political class. And I have no doubt, judging by the signs we have at present, that the European Union will also support her through political and financial instruments, giving substance to her term in office. There is full openness in Brussels towards Maia Sandu. And the West will most certainly understand that, if left to its own devices, Moldova will continue to experience such accidents as Igor Dodons term in office was. So, Vlad Țurcanu concludes, a plan is needed for the Republic of Moldova to exit the grey area it tends to fall into every decade. (tr. A. M. Popescu)

  • November 19, 2020

    November 19, 2020

    COVID-19 Romania Thursday reported 10,108 new Covid-19 cases, taking the total number of cases so far up to 394,000. Nearly 70% of them have so far recovered. The most cases were reported in Bucharest and the counties of Constanţa (south-east) and Cluj (north-west). Another 167 coronavirus-related deaths were also reported, and the number of patients in intensive care is 1,131. The pandemic has put the spotlight on the long-standing structural flaws of Romanias healthcare system, president Klaus Iohannis said. On Wednesday he met with officials and experts involved in the management of medical equipment, who presented reports on the infrastructure and failures in the national healthcare sector.



    DIPLOMACY The Romanian foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu takes part today in an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers held online. According to the Foreign Ministry, Bogdan Aurescu will voice support for strengthening the EU-USA partnership, emphasising that only by consolidating trans-Atlantic ties can current and future global challenges be managed properly. The Romanian official will also emphasise that efficient multilateralism relies on compliance with international law and democratic values, and on the cooperation between countries that share the same views. Aurescu will also present an assessment of the presidential election in the Republic of Moldova, with a focus on the victory of the pro-European candidate Maia Sandu and its implications for the relation between the EU and Chisinau.



    EU BUDGET The European Parliament announced it would make no concession as regards the rule of law, on which the allocation of EU funding will depend as of next year. This is a response to proposals from some member states regarding a compromise with Hungary and Poland, which are disgruntled with the new conditions. On Monday they vetoed the endorsement of the Unions multiannual budget and the economic recovery plan post-COVID-19. Polands PM Mateusz Morawiecki explained that his countrys position on making funds conditional on compliance with the rule of law is designed to avoid arbitrary measures. In turn, the Hungarian PM Viktor Orban spoke about Brussels blackmailing the countries that oppose immigration. The EU budget for the forthcoming 7 years and the economic recovery plan are discussed today by the EU heads of state and government. The combined financial effort amounts to over 1,800 billion euro.



    PANDEMIC The total number of COVID-19 cases worldwide is over 56.6 million, and the death toll exceeds 1.3 million, according to worldometers.info updates. The US reports over one-fifth of the total number of deaths (over 250,000). As the healthcare community focuses on producing a vaccine, the final assessments run by the US company Pfizer and the German company BioNTech point to a 95% protection rate. The head of the World Health Organisation Emergencies Programme, Mike Ryan, warned however that the vaccine will not be available in time to fight for the second wave of the pandemic. Meanwhile, UNICEF Thursday called for averting a lost generation as COVID-19 threatens to cause irreversible harm to childrens education, nutrition and well-being.



    SPORTS Romanias national football team last night drew 1-all with Northern Ireland in Belfast, in the last match in the UEFA Nations League. Romania came out 3rd in Group B, meeting its goal of being allocated in Pot 2 of the 2022 World Cup qualifying draw. Romanias U-21 team managed to qualify for the 2nd consecutive time in the final tournament of the relevant European Championship. In womens handball, CSM Bucharest take on Russian side Rostov on Don at home tonight, in the Champions League Group A. CSM and Rostov currently top the group rankings. (translated by: A.M. Popescu)

  • June 15, 2020

    June 15, 2020

    COVID-19 In Romania, the latest data released by the Strategic Communication Group point to a total of nearly 22,100 COVID 19 cases. The largest numbers of infections have so far been reported in Suceava County (north-east) and in Bucharest. A total of over 15,800 patients have so far recovered, and 175 are currently in intensive care. So far 1,427 people died because of the novel coronavirus. Around 3,400 Romanian nationals living abroad have so far tested positive for the coronavirus, most of them in Italy, Germany and Spain, and 114 of them died. Bucharest is further lifting some of the COVID-19 containment measures today.



    PANDEMIC The worldwide death toll of the COVID-19 pandemic so far is over 435,000, out of almost 8 million cases. More than half of the patients have recovered. The US remains the worst hit country, with over 2.1 million cases and nearly 118,000 deaths, followed by Brazil, Russia, India, the UK, Spain and Italy. Europe, which was the second region hit by the pandemic, takes advantage of the more stable situation and continues to ease restrictions and to open internal borders. Italy, once the worst hit country in Europe and in the world, is today moving to a 3rd stange in lifting restrictions. Also today, Slovenia, Germany and Austria open their borders with Italy, with the first flights to Italian airports. Bulgaria is also lifting some of the COVID-19 related restrictions, although it faces an increase in the number of new cases, which raises fears of a second wave of the pandemic.



    EXAMS Over 172,000 Romanian students graduating secondary schools this year are taking their National Assessment exams as of today, as a prerequisite for high school enrolment. Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, this year the exam is held in special circumstances. Healthcare personnel are taking childrens temperature and every school is equipped with decontamination mats, protective face masks and biocide substances to use on floors, doorknobs, desks and chairs. Children are not allowed to bring any bags or backpacks into the examination rooms and are seated 2m from each other during the exam. The students who are self-isolating, quarantined, hospitalized, and those who had a temperature above 37.3 degrees Celsius on the exam day and those suffering from conditions that may be worsened by the novel coronavirus will take the exams in a special session between June 22 and July 4.



    DIPLOMACY The Romanian foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu is taking part today in an informal conference call with the EU diplomacy chiefs. The agenda focuses on transatlantic relations. The participants will discuss with the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo about the importance of the partnership between the EU and the US, with an emphasis on the international consequences of the Coronavirus crisis. Another topic discussed with the American official is the relationship with China, with a view to strengthen the American-European dialogue and coordination in this respect. The Romanian foreign minister will emphasise the importance of unity and pragmatism, and the need to strengthen transatlantic ties. He will also highlight the need to maintain a strong American presence in areas affected by protracted conflicts, particularly in the Eastern neighbourhood.



    MEASURES The Romanian airline TAROM announced resuming flights to and from several EU countries. As of today, flights to Athens are resumed in normal conditions, while flights to Vienna, Frankfurt and Munich are also scheduled this week. Quarantine or self-isolation is also no longer required for the Romanian citizens arriving from 17 European countries (Austria, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Cyprus, Croatia, Switzerland, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Malta, Norway, Slovakia, Slovenia and Hungary).



    BREXIT The British PM Boris Johnson and the president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen are holding post-Brexit trade negotiations today, after no major progress has been made towards a deal after four rounds of talks this year. London wants to end the transition period this year, whether or not a deal is reached. Experts say a failure of trade talks between Britain, which left the EU on January 31, and the 27 EU member states, may have devastating economic consequences, further deepened by the coronavirus pandemic.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • Bucharest-Chisinau relations in an election year

    Bucharest-Chisinau relations in an election year

    Running for a second term in office this year, the Socialist pro-Russian president Igor Dodon resorts to statements that are often conflicting. On Tuesday, in a meeting with the Moldovan ambassadors abroad, he said the enforcement of the Association Agreement with the EU, signed in 2014 by the previous, pro-Western government, remains one of the foreign policy priorities for the Republic of Moldova.



    In addition to what he called “strengthening relations with the EU, the incumbent Moldovan president also insisted on the importance of bilateral relations with Moscow and Bucharest. He mentioned that in April the country will celebrate 10 years since signing a strategic cooperation and partnership with Romania, and added that at present there are no delicate issues or disagreements with Bucharest.



    A lot more cautious, the Romanian foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu told his EU counterparts that Moldovas efforts to implement the obligations undertaken with respect to the European Union must be closely and strictly monitored. Experts in Chisinau, quoted by Radio Romania correspondents, argue that the Socialist government only goes through the motions of implementing the accession deal with Brussels, and that its statements are not followed by the required reforms.



    Political analyst Ion Tabarta says that the supposedly balanced foreign policy that Chisinau claims to be embracing is in fact an attempt at redirecting it towards Moscow and at accommodating Russias interests. The media mention a recent statement by Moldovas foreign minister, Aureliu Ciocoi, regarding the allegedly peace-making role of the Russian Army in the armed conflict of 1992, when Chisinau lost authority over the pro-Russian breakaway region of Transdniester. At the OSCE summit in Istanbul in 1999, Russia pledged to pull out its troops and military equipment from the Moldovan territory, but so far it has barely taken any steps to keep its commitments.



    Last month, the Romanian Academy felt bound to respond to the downpour of political statements in Chisinau. The highest scientific body in Bucharest called on the authorities of Moldova to preserve the appropriate and traditional concepts of “Romanian language and “the history of Romanians in their official documents. The Academy voiced concern with the attempts by Chisinau officials to reintroduce the phrase “Moldovan language, concocted by the Soviet propaganda, and argues that there is no such thing as a Moldovan language, but rather a Romanian language with several varieties, including the Moldovan one.



    The concepts of “Moldovan language and “Moldovan nation were introduced by Stalins Moscow to justify Russias annexing the eastern Romanian territories on which the current Republic of Moldova was formed. According to the latest opinion poll, 34% of the Republics citizens favour a re-union with Romania.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • Romania’s foreign policy in 2020

    Romania’s foreign policy in 2020

    Romania aims to remain a stability factor and a firm promoter of democracy in the international community, President Klaus Iohannis said in Bucharest, at the annual meeting with the chiefs of diplomatic missions in Bucharest. The head of state presented the 3 main directions of the countrys foreign policy this year:



    Klaus Iohannis: “Our EU and NATO membership, together with our strategic partnership with the USA, remain the core pillars of our foreign policy or, as I described them last year, the strategic conceptual triad of Romanias foreign policy. These pillars complement each other. At the same time, we will continue to work for Romanias Schengen accession, which will contribute significantly to strengthening security in the EUs visa-free area, and for joining the Euro zone, when all conditions have been met. In a short while Britain will exit the EU. It is something we havent wished for, but we will work to make sure that the friendship and alliance that have brought us together so far remain strong between Britain and the EU. We will also do our best to modernize the strategic partnership between Romania and Britain, something we are currently working on.



    Romanias foreign policy will be defined, as it has been so far, by continuity and predictability, but naturally some nuances and emphases will shift, so as to provide more coherence and consistence, the head of state also said.



    What are these nuances and emphases, and how can more coherence and consistence be ensured? Analyst Cristian Diaconescu, a former foreign minister, attempted a few answers for Radio Romania:



    Cristian Diaconescu: “A country project overlapping a project for the entire region, and obviously in line with Romanias security and stability interests in one of the most complicated parts of the world, and on the other hand in line with the partnership relations, the standards and values that we all share as members of the EU and the North-Atlantic Alliance. This means more creativity in the area bordering the Black Sea and the Western Balkans, with a very complicated eastern neighbourhood and, more importantly, at the crossroads of the energy corridors—and implicitly the security corridors coming from Eastern Europe or from the Middle East.



    In the current international context, facing risks, challenges and threats old and new, the need for a strong, united and efficient North-Atlantic Alliance is greater than ever, President Iohannis said:



    Klaus Iohannis: “NATO is a successful military alliance and we will continue to work very closely with the other Allies to make it even stronger. This is the main message of the London anniversary summit of December 2019, and Romania will focus on this direction with renewed efforts, as an important ally on the eastern flank in NATO. We are determined to continue to fulfil our commitments to earmark 2% of the GDP to Defence, and we will continue to work to consolidate the Alliances determent and defence posture, particularly in the eastern flank. At the same time, in addition to the Allied effort at the Black Sea, Romania will support NATOs enhanced involvement in the Middle East and in fighting terrorism.



    The President also mentioned the UN and the OSCE as platforms for consolidated dialogue and compliance with international law, and as commentators have noted, he used the word “multilateralism quite frequently.



    Cristian Diaconescu: “First of all, because multilateralism is a key element in promoting and protecting Romanias interests. Secondly, because indeed, if we talk about the UN and OSCE, we can notice some political relaxation, a decrease in the role and the activity of these multilateral bodies, although they still remain relevant in many respects, which are important to Romania. And thirdly, because there is this tendency, especially among the great powers, to have separate dialogues and to make decisions irrespective of these international institutions, which raises concerns among countries, such as Romania, which are located in complicated regions and which end up receiving ready-made decisions in whose negotiation they have not taken part.



    As regards the recent developments in the Middle East, the President of Romania said that the negative effects of this crisis impact the European and global security. Klaus Iohannis also said that Bucharest will resume full cooperation with the neighbouring Republic of Moldova when the Moldovan Government has proved its commitment to the countrys European accession, to reforms in the judiciary and public administration, and to fighting corruption.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • December 15, 2019 UPDATE

    December 15, 2019 UPDATE

    ASEM The Romanian foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu Sunday had a meeting with New Zealands Under Secretary for Foreign Affairs, on the sidelines of the Asia-Europe meeting of foreign ministers held in Madrid. The 2 officials discussed areas of bilateral cooperation, with a focus on strengthening political and diplomatic dialogue and on cooperation within international organisations. Minister Aurescu also emphasised the importance of bilateral economic cooperation, and of bolstering relations between the EU and New Zealand. Also on Sunday, Aurescu met with the Romanian students who attended the Model ASEM Youth Conference, and voiced his support for the youth organisations that work on the sidelines of the summit meetings. The 14th ASEM foreign ministers meeting, held under the motto “Asia and Europa – together for effective multilateralism, is chaired by the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell. Taking part are foreign ministers and senior representatives of over 50 European and Asian countries. This is the last event in the ASEM ministerial meeting series taking place in 2019 in which Romania has been an active contributor, including an ASEM education ministers meeting hosted by Bucharest on May 15th-16th, during the Romanian presidency of the Council of the EU.




    COMMEMORATION Timişoara, the western Romanian city where the anti-communist uprising started 30 years ago, Sunday hosted a roundtable and a Freedom March to commemorate the event. On Monday, the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies convene in a joint solemn session devoted to the anniversary of 3 decades since the anti-communist revolution in Romania. In turn, the European Parliament will commemorate on Monday, on the first day of the new plenary session in Strasbourg, the 30 years since the Romanian Revolution, with a resolution on this topic scheduled to be adopted Thursday. The anti-communist revolution started out on December 16th in Timişoara, which on December 20th became the first Romanian city free of communism. On December 21st, the uprising started to spread to reach Bucharest and other Romanian cities. More than 1,000 people died and some 3,000 were wounded in the clashes that followed across Romania, the only country in the Eastern Bloc where the regime was ousted violently and where the communist leaders (Nicolae and Elena Ceausescu) were executed.




    LEGISLATION The Social Democratic Party in opposition will refer to the Constitutional Court on Monday 2 bills that the Liberal Government has these days rushed through Parliament by means of a special procedure. The bills concern the length in service requirements for entry-level magistrates and measures in the road transport sector, the Social Democratic leader Marcel Ciolacu has announced. The Government has also announced plans to request Parliaments confidence on a number of other measures, such as scrapping several provisions in the Government Order 114, dubbed “the greed tax order, through which a year ago the Social Democratic government had introduced additional taxes for banks and caps on the electricity and natural gas prices charged to households. After a first reading of the bill amending this Order, the Government announced it targeted the deregulation of natural gas prices as of July 1, 2020 and of electricity prices as of December 31, 2020, the scrapping of the 2% fee paid by energy companies to the state budget, and the repeal of provisions that allowed for money in privately-managed pension funds to be transferred to the government-managed fund.




    MIGRANTS Romanian border police found 20 citizens from Iraq, Syria, Libya, Algeria and India trying to illegally cross the border into Hungary through the Vărşand, Borş and Nădlac II checkpoints in western Romania, the Border Police Inspectorate General announced on Sunday. According to the source, 2 of them are children, the others are men aged 22 to 40, all of them having sought asylum in Romania. They said they were trying to get to a Western European country. The police investigate them for attempted illegal border crossing, identity fraud and forgery.



    PROTEST Hundreds of people protested in Buzau, south-eastern Romania on Sunday against the recent dismissal by the Liberal Government of researcher Costel Vînătoru as head of the Vegetable and Ornamental, Aromatic and Medicinal Plant Gene Bank based in the city. Costel Vînătoru, a corresponding member of the Academy of Farming and Forestry Sciences, is the initiator of the Gene Bank, set up in September by the Social Democratic Government. He has been working in vegetable research for 34 years, working to reduce Romanias reliance on seed and vegetable imports.




    BREXIT Queen Elizabeth II will set out on Thursday Prime Minister Boris Johnsons legislative agenda following his December 12th election victory. According to the Royal House, the agenda will include a pledge to bring the EU Withdrawal Agreement bill back to parliament before Christmas. The parliamentary approval for the Brexit deal is expected to be a mere formality now, when the Tories have a comfortable 365-seat majority after their biggest national election win in decades.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • Parliamentary debates in Bucharest

    Parliamentary debates in Bucharest

    After the elections for the European Parliament and the justice referendum, the Romanian Parliament has a busy agenda this week. On Tuesday, the foreign minister Teodor Melescanu is invited by the National Liberal Party and the Save Romania Union to answer questions before the Chamber of Deputies, whereas the Senate is discussing a simple motion tabled against him by the Opposition.



    The political debates will focus on the voting problems in polling stations abroad on May 26. The Liberals, Save Romania Union and the Peoples Movement Party call for the resignation of the foreign minister over the poor management of the voting process.



    Also this week, Parliament leaders will convene to decide on the set up of an election code committee, as agreed in a meeting held by the ruling coalition. The president of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, Calin Popescu-Tariceanu, explained that committee members should draw up a bill enabling all citizens to exercise their voting rights in an efficient manner.



    Calin Popescu Tariceanu: “We will invite the Central Electoral Authority, which as far as I know has already mentioned a number of proposals, including an extended early vote, electronic voting or mail voting. We will also invite the Foreign Ministry and the Interior Ministry, so as to identify the most appropriate solution and to avoid such crowding and queuing in the future.



    During the May 26 vote for the European Parliament and the justice referendum, thousands of Romanians living abroad were unable to cast their votes because of the poor organization, in spite of the near doubling of polling stations set up abroad. A report issued by the Foreign Ministry at the request of PM Viorica Dancila denies any responsibility for the problems, and blames them on President Klaus Iohannis, who asked for a referendum on the same day as the European elections. Another accusation brought by the Opposition against the foreign minister is also the failure of Romanias candidacy for a non-permanent seat in the UN Security Council.



    Meanwhile, the Opposition is also trying to get the required number of votes for a no-confidence motion to remove the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats from power. The Liberal Senator Alina Gorghiu said the other opposition parties promised to back the motion:



    Alina Gorghiu: “I appreciate the openness of all those in the Parliament of Romania who are willing to cast their vote to dismiss the Cabinet through a no-confidence motion, and I assure those who cling on to power, and Mrs. Dancila too, that their unwillingness to step down turns them into a party that is irrelevant in the political arena.



    In turn, ProRomania, an opposition party headed by the former Social Democratic prime minister Victor Ponta, announced that, although they did not sign the no-confidence motion, they will vote to dismiss the Cabinet.



    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)