FAC -
Romania’s Foreign Minister, Bogdan Aurescu, is attending the Foreign Affairs
Council (FAC) meeting hosted by Brussels on Monday. According to a Foreign
Ministry press release, talks will focus on Russia’s aggression in Ukraine,
with Ukraine’s Foreign Minister, Dmytro Kuleba expected to take part in
videoconference format. The meeting’s agenda also includes the developments in
Sahel and coastal areas of Western Africa. European officials will also look at
the latest developments in Iran, Montenegro, Afghanistan and Venezuela, as well
as the launch of the EU mission to Armenia. With respect to Russia’s invasion
of Ukraine, Minister Aurescu will reassert the need to continue the EU’s
multidimensional assistance to Ukraine, in particular with a view to getting
through the cold season safely and providing military assistance to the
Ukrainian army via the European Peace Facility.
EXHIBITION – Romanian
traditional products are promoted in the Green Week 2023 international
exhibition that will be hosted by Berlin over January 20-29. 60 out of the
total of 700 registered traditional products, including traditional cheese
preserved in tree bark or smoked trout in fir tree branches will be presented
to the visiting public. Additionally, varietals of white, rosé and red wines
will be available to sample, in addition to assortments of honey and
cold-pressed oils, as well as jams, preserves, juices and syrups. The
exhibition represents both a business platform as a well as a festival of
gastronomic and folk traditions with a wide reach in Europe and around the
world.
CELEBRATION – The Union of the
Romanian Principalities will be marked on January 24 by the Romanian Cultural
Institute branches in Chișinău, Rome, Warsaw, Venice, Istanbul and Vienna. The
Mihai Eminescu Institute in Chișinău is hosting a scientific conference marking
164 years since the Union of the Romanian Principalities. The Cultural and
Human Research Institute in Venice is organizing a conference addressing the
general public, aimed at highlighting cordial Romanian-Italian relations during
the reign of Prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza (1859-1866) and the two countries’
symmetric efforts in achieving national unity. The Accademia di Romania in Rome
will also mark the event by publishing a film on its Facebook page devoted to
ruler Alexandru Ioan Cuza, produced by painter and photographer Carol Popp de
Szathmari. The Cultural Institute in Warsaw will upload a documentary with Polish
subtitles on its YouTube channel, titled The 1859 Union of the Romanian
Principalities, directed by Radu Găină. A similar documentary will also be
publicized by the Cultural Institute in Istanbul. The Cultural Institute in
Vienna will also host events devoted to the figure of the Romanian ruler.
EXERCISE – Over 100 American
servicemen part of the 1-26 US infantry battalion will be training alongside
Romanian military in the Sfântul Andrei 300 mechanized infantry battalion in
Galați until March. According to a Defense Ministry release, the US troops were
deployed at the end of last year to the Mihail Kogălniceanu military base in
the southeast, and this week they relocated to Galați. The US servicemen will
take part in daily exercises alongside Romanian troops based on a scheduled
training program, adjusted to the existing equipment and military capabilities
of both sides. The purpose of the exercise is to further develop combat
techniques, tactics and operational procedures, to acquire new combat skills
and boost existing military capabilities as well as the interoperability in
line with NATO standards.
MEDAL – Romanian athlete Andreea
Grecu on Saturday scooped silver in the women’s monobob event at the European
Championships in Altenberg, Germany. Grecu completed her run in 2mins02secs,
being outrun by Laura Nolte of Germany. Kim Kalicki of Germany won bronze. (VP)