Radio România Internațional

Tag: General Assembly

  • The Romanian foreign minister at the UN

    The Romanian foreign minister at the UN

     

     

    Russia’s attacks on the civilian infrastructure in Ukraine carry on, and consolidating the defence in this country is important, which is an aspect to which Ukraine’s neighbor, Romania, also contributes with the donation of a Patriot missile defence system, the Romanian foreign minister Luminiţa Odobescu told the Romanian mass media.

     

    The Romanian diplomacy chief last week took part in the UN General Assembly in New York, where she voiced support for the peace plan put forth by the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

     

    She said peace in Ukraine must be ‘a just peace,’ based on international law and the UN Charter, and one which recognizes the territorial integrity and independence of Moscow-invaded Ukraine.

     

    The Romanian official explained that she had also discussed the drone attacks on Ukraine’s Romanian border with Bucharest’s Western partners and allies. She also mentioned that a merchant ship carrying Ukrainian grain was recently hit by a Russian missile in the Black Sea. Such attacks ‘affect the security and freedom of navigaton and are flagrant violations of international rules,’ the Romanian foreign minister emphasised.

     

    On the other hand, the security situation in the Middle East is volatile and it is very important that a war affecting the entire region be avoided, Luminiţa Odobescu pointed out.

     

    In the bilateral meetings in New York with political leaders in the Arab world—Palestine, Qatar, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates—she reiterated that Romania consistently supported a two-state solution. But until that time, a lasting truce in Gaza is crucial, concurrently with the release of all the Israeli hostages kidnapped by the Islamist Palestinian group Hamas, and with continuing humanitarian aid for the civilians in Gaza.

     

    Luminiţa Odobescu emphasized that Bucharest is providing humanitarian aid to Gaza and voiced willingness for Romanian hospitals to treat children from that region, which has been devastated for a year now by a war that has killed over 40,000 and left another 100,000 others wounded.

     

    As for a possible spillover of this conflict to Lebanon, Luminiţa Odobescu said the Romanian diplomatic mission in that country focuses on the Romanian nationals who live there with their families. According to the Romanian official, so far nearly 1,000 Romanian nationals and family members have notified their presence in Lebanon to the Romanian Embassy in Beirut, but no evacuation requests have been received so far. Minister Odobescu reiterated the Romanian authorities’ call on Romanian nationals to avoid traveling to Lebanon, given the recent security developments in the region. (AMP)

  • September 22, 2016

    September 22, 2016

    UN General Assembly – Romania steps up efforts to meet global challenges like poverty, climate change, terrorism and conflicts, in the spirit of international solidarity and joint responsibility, the PM of Romania, Dacian Cioloş, said in his address at the UN General Assembly session in New York. He added that at present Romania holds the presidency of the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organisation, while Romanian military and police troops take part in peacekeeping missions. Romania will continue to earmark substantial political, diplomatic, financial and human resources to maintaining regional and global stability, the head of the Romanian government also said. Today, PM Ciolos is having talks with the Secretary General of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation and with American business people who invest in Romania. He also had meetings with members of the Romanian community in New York. On Tuesday, PM Dacian Cioloş discussed with his Canadian counterpart, Justin Trudeau, the prospects for lifting visa requirements for Romanian citizens, and attended the UN Summit for Refugees and Migrants.




    Anti-fraud – The head of the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF), Giovanni Kessler, hailed in Bucharest the efforts of Romanian authorities to curb fraud. He added that the Anti-Fraud Department in Romania is the Europeans main partner and a success model for Romanias anti-fraud strategy aimed at building a better, corruption-free society. At the Albiţa checkpoint in eastern Romania Kessler had a meeting with officials of customs authorities in Romania, Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova. The main topic was cross-border cooperation, with a view to preventing and fighting illegal trafficking on the EU external borders.




    Refugees – At the UN Summit for Refugees and Migrants in New York Romania did not make any relocation commitments in addition to the decision made at EU level, the Romanian Foreign Ministry says in a news release. The Ministry mentions that Romania takes part in the common European effort in this respect, by means of “implementing internal relocation decisions made in 2015 and of voluntarily participating in the foreign relocation process.




    Defence – On September 28 Romania will receive the first six F-16 planes from Portugal, the Romanian Defence Minister Mihnea Motoc has announced. He made this statement after a meeting with the ambassador of Portugal to Bucharest, João-Bernardo Weinstein, whom he thanked for the contribution of the Portuguese Air Forces to training the pilots and other personnel who will operate the aircraft. Romania has purchased from Portugal a total of 12 upgraded F-16 planes, compatible with the models used by the other NATO member states. The contract, signed 3 years ago, cost the Romanian Army some 630 million euro.




    Measles – Romania is currently facing a measles epidemics. According to the Healthcare Ministry, three infants have died and nearly 700 got sick in the first 8 months of the year, as opposed to seven confirmed cases and no deaths last year. The Ministry intends to run an awareness raising campaign regarding the benefits of immunisation.



    Charlotte protests – The situation seems to have got out of control in Charlotte, North Carolina, after a young African-American was shot in clashes with the police. Wednesday was the second running day of protests in this American town, where according to CNN a person was shot and a police officer wounded. The Governor of North Carolina declared a state of emergency in Charlotte and sent the National Guard to calm things down. Keith Lamont Scott (43) was shot dead on Tuesday in a parking lot, while police tried to serve a warrant for a different man. According to social media, the man was reading a book when the police officers approached him, but authorities claim he was armed and had refused repeated demands to put the gun down before the police officer, himself an African-American, shot him.




    Corruption investigation – Anti-corruption prosecutors in the Republic of Moldova have taken 15 judges and 3 court enforcement officers, involved in a huge money-laundering scandal. The mass media in Chisinau, quoted by Radio Romania correspondents, say they were reportedly involved in the laundering of a rough 18 billion USD coming from the Russian Federation. If proven guilty, the suspects risk spending 5 to 10 years behind bars.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)