Radio România Internațional

Tag: GUAM

October 5, 2018 UPDATE

REFERENDUM — Nearly 19 million Romanian voters are invited on Saturday and Sunday to vote on a proposed redefinition of the concept of family in the Constitution. The initiators aim to define “family” as an institution based on the marriage of a man and a woman, rather than the marriage of spouses, as it is at present. The Parliament has passed a bill in this respect, based on a citizen initiative for which 3 million signatures have been raised. The referendum sparked fiery debates between the initiators, a Christian coalition primarily supported by the Romanian Orthodox Church, and the supporters of sexual minority rights. The Romanians living abroad may vote in 378 polls hosted by diplomatic missions, consular offices, cultural institutes and other locations. The largest number of polls abroad will be in Italy, Spain, the Republic of Moldova, the USA, UK, France and Germany. The referendum will be validated provided that at least 25% of the eligible voters cast valid votes.

MEETING – Hungary supports Romania’s efforts to join the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on Friday. The Hungarian official had a meeting on Friday with the Romanian Minister for the Business Environment, Trade and Entrepreneurship, Stefan Radu Oprea, on which occasion they discussed topics of mutual interest. Péter Szijjártó said Romania is his country’s second largest export market for which reason Hungary is interested in strengthening cooperation with Romania in a number of sectors.

JUDICIARY — The former tourism minister Elena Udrea and the former chief of the anti-mafia prosecutor’s office (DIICOT) Alina Bica, will be detained for 2 months pending an extradition decision, said on Thursday the Interpol office in Costa Rica, where the 2 were apprehended. They had both filed asylum applications in that country. Elena Udrea has received a final 6-year prison sentence from the Supreme Court for bribe taking and abuse of office. The former head of the Directorate Investigating Organised Crime, Alina Bica, was in turn sentenced to 4 years in prison for aiding and abetting. Udrea and Bica are not the only former high-level officials that have fled the country to escape prison sentences for corruption offences. This is the case with the former mayor of Constanta, Radu Mazare, who is in Madagascar at present, and the former MP Sebastian Ghita, currently in Serbia.

NOBEL — The Congolese gynecologist Denis Mukwege, who treated sex violence victims in his home country, and Nadia Murad, a Kurdish human rights activist having survived Islamic State sexual slavery, are the winners of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize. The Norwegian Nobel Committee explained that it has awarded the 2 “for their efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war”. Both had a crucial contribution to raising awareness with respect to this type of war crimes and in fighting them. The Nobel season ends this Monday with the award of the Economy Prize in Stockholm.

EDUCATION – UNESCO estimates that 69 million teachers are still needed around the world, in order to reach the education targets set for the year 2030. The shortage of teaching staff particularly affects vulnerable categories, girls, children with disabilities, refugees and migrants, children from poor rural communities or isolated areas, the organisation warns on the International Education Day, celebrated on Friday in Romania as well. In her message, PM Viorica Dăncilă said education is a chance for individual development and the foundation of a strong, developed country, with a voice heard at international level, like Romania. In turn, President Klaus Iohannis emphasised that the education system must provide youth with the skills required in the labour market, including in terms of adjusting to the challenges of a digital society.

FRIGATE — “King Ferdinand” frigate is, as of Friday, under the Allied Sea Command (MARCOM) and carries out sea traffic surveillance missions in the Mediterranean, as part of Operation Sea Guardian, the Romanian Defence Ministry announced. Operation Sea Guardian was launched following the NATO Summit in Warsaw in 2016, to discourage threats against NATO partners, the said source added. The 240-strong crew of “King Ferdinand” frigate will conduct missions in the Mediterranean, thus confirming Romania’s status as a security provider holding operational platforms deployable in various unstable regions in the world, where NATO military presence is required for security reasons. The frigate will conclude its missions in the Mediterranean in late October.

GUAM — Chisinau hosted on Friday a meeting of the Organisation for Democracy and Economic Development — GUAM heads of government. The organisation comprises the former Soviet republics of Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and the Republic of Moldova. Participants discussed topics of mutual interest for the member states, with a view to improving cooperation between the 4 states. Moldovan PM Pavel Filip announced the initiation of talks regarding the setting up of a free trade area between the four states, of a common transport corridor and the prospect of removing roaming tariffs. The Moldovan official also emphasized the importance of cooperation in ensuring peace in the region. On the sidelines of the summit, the Moldovan PM Pavel Filip had meetings with his counterpart in Ukraine and Georgia, Volodimir Groisman and Mamuka Bakhtadze, and with the deputy PM of Azerbaijan, Ali Akhmedov. The Republic of Moldova this year is holding the rotating presidency of GUAM, an organisation created in 1997 as an alternative to the Community of Independent States.

5 October 2018
Nachrichten 05.10.2018

Bukarest: Ungefähr 19 Millionen rumänische Wähler werden am Samstag und Sonntag beim Referendum zur Abänderung der Verfassung erwartet. Dabei geht es um die Neudefinition der Familie als freiwillige Ehe zwischen einem Mann und einer Frau und nicht zwischen Ehegatten wie bisher. Der Abänderungsentwurf wurde im Parlament angenommen. Dieses beruht auf einer Bürgerinitiative, die 3 Millionen Unterschriften gesammelt hat. Das Referendum zur Neudefinition der Familie hat für eine heftige Debatte zwischen den Urhebern, einer Koalition mehrerer christlicher Organisationen, die hauptsächlich von der mehrheitlichen Orthodoxen Kirche unterstützt wird, und denen, die sich für die Rechte der Sexualminderheiten einsetzen, gesorgt. Die Rumänen im Ausland werden beim Referendum an 378 Wahllokalen wählen können, die an den diplomatischen Missionen, an den Konsulaten, an Kulturinstituten und an anderen Orten eingerichtet wurden. Die meisten Wahllokale gibt es in Italien, Spanien, der Republik Moldau, den Vereinigten Staaten von Amerika, in Großbritannien, Frankreich und Deutschland. Das Referendum ist nur dann gültig, wenn die Beteiligungsquote mindestens 30% aller Wahlberechtigten erreicht. Dieses wird validiert, wenn mindestens 25% der Wahlberechtigten eine gültige Stimme abgeben.

Bukarest: Die ehemalige Tourismusministerin Elena Udrea und die ehemalige Chefin der Antimafiastaatsanwaltschaft Alina Bica werden zwei Monate in Untersuchungshaft verbringen. Dabei werden sie auf Ergebnis des Auslieferungsverfahrens warten, kündigte am Donnerstag das Interpol-Büro in Costa Rica, wo die beiden festgenommen wurden. Zuvor hatten beide Asylanträge in diesem Land gestellt. Elena Udrea wurde von dem Obersten Kassations- und Justizhof endgültig zu 6 Jahren Gefängnisstrafe wegen Annahme von Bestechungsgeldern und Amtsmissbrauches verurteilt. Die ehemalige Chefin der Antimafiastaatsanwaltschaft Alina Bica wurde von den Richtern des Obersten Gerichtes zu 4 Jahren Vollstreckungshaft in einer Akte verurteilt, in der sie der Begünstigung des Täters beschuldigt wurden. Udrea und Bica sind nicht die einzigen ehemaligen Würdenträger, die ihrer Stafvollstreckung wegen Korruptionstaten entgangen sind, indem sie ins Ausland geflüchtet sind. Das ist auch der Fall des ehemaligen Bürgermeisters der südöstlichen Hafenstadt Constanţa Radu Mazare, der sich derzeit in Madagascar aufhält und des ehemaligen Abgeordneten Sebastian Ghiţă, der nach Serbien geflüchtet ist.

Chisinau: In der moldauischen Hauptstadt hat am Freitag das Treffen der Regierungschefs der Staaten der Organisation für Demokratie und Wirtschaftliche Entwicklung stattgefunden. Mitgliedsstaaten sind die ehemaligen sowjetischen Republiken Georgien, die Ukraine, Adserbaidschan und die Moldaurepublik. Der moldauische Premierminister Pavel Filip gab den Start der Gespräche zur Gründung einer Freihandelszone zwischen den vier Staaten, sowie der Gründung eines gemeinsamen Transportkorridors bekannt. Er hob die Notwendigkeit der Kooperation für die regionale Sicherheit hervor. Radio Chisinau zufolge, zählten unter den Themen auch die Intensivierung der Zusammenarbeit im politischen Bereich, die gemeinsamen Anstrengungen für die Internationalisierung der teritorialen Konflikte, die die vier Staaten konfrontieren. Pavel Filip kam mit seinen Gegenübern aus der Ukraine und Georgien Volodimir Groisman bzw Mamuka Bakhtadze und dem Vizepremier Adserbaidschans Ali Akhmedov. Die Moldaurepublik hat in diesem Jahr die Präsidentschaft der GUAM inne.

5 October 2018
October 5, 2018

REFERENDUM – Nearly 19 million Romanian voters are invited on Saturday and Sunday to vote on a proposed redefinition of the concept of family in the Constitution. The initiators aim to define “family as an institution based on the marriage of a man and a woman, rather than the marriage of spouses, as it is at present. The Parliament has passed a bill in this respect, based on a citizen initiative for which 3 million signatures have been raised. The referendum sparked fiery debates between the initiators, a Christian coalition primarily supported by the Romanian Orthodox Church, and the supporters of sexual minority rights. The Romanians living abroad may vote in 378 polls hosted by diplomatic missions, consular offices, cultural institutes and other locations. The largest number of polls abroad will be in Italy, Spain, the Republic of Moldova, the USA, UK, France and Germany. The referendum will be validated provided that at least 25% of the eligible voters cast valid votes.

JUDICIARY – The former tourism minister Elena Udrea and the former chief of the anti-mafia prosecutors office (DIICOT) Alina Bica, will be detained for 2 months pending an extradition decision, said on Thursday the Interpol office in Costa Rica, where the 2 were apprehended. They had both filed asylum applications in that country. Elena Udrea has received a final 6-year prison sentence from the Supreme Court for bribe taking and abuse of office. The former head of the Directorate Investigating Organised Crime, Alina Bica, was in turn sentenced to 4 years in prison for aiding and abetting. Udrea and Bica are not the only former high-level officials that have fled the country to escape prison sentences for corruption offences. This is the case with the former mayor of Constanta, Radu Mazare, who is in Madagascar at present, and the former MP Sebastian Ghita, currently in Serbia.

NOBEL – The Congolese gynecologist Denis Mukwege, who treated sex violence victims in his home country, and Nadia Murad, a Kurdish human rights activist having survived Islamic State sexual slavery, are the winners of this years Nobel Peace Prize. The Norwegian Nobel Committee explained that it has awarded the 2 “for their efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war. Both had a crucial contribution to raising awareness with respect to this type of war crimes and in fighting them. The Nobel season ends this Monday with the award of the Economy Prize in Stockholm.

EDUCATION – UNESCO estimates that 69 million teachers are still needed around the world, in order to reach the education targets set for the year 2030. The shortage of teaching staff particularly affects vulnerable categories, girls, children with disabilities, refugees and migrants, children from poor rural communities or isolated areas, the organisation warns on the International Education Day, celebrated today in Romania as well. In her message, PM Viorica Dăncilă said education is a chance for individual development and the foundation of a strong, developed country, with a voice heard at international level, like Romania. In turn, President Klaus Iohannis emphasised that the education system must provide youth with the skills required in the labour market, including in terms of adjusting to the challenges of a digital society.

FRIGATE – “King Ferdinand frigate is, as of Friday, under the Allied Sea Command (MARCOM) and carries out sea traffic surveillance missions in the Mediterranean, as part of Operation Sea Guardian, the Romanian Defence Ministry announced. Operation Sea Guardian was launched following the NATO Summit in Warsaw in 2016, to discourage threats against NATO partners, the said source added. The 240-strong crew of “King Ferdinand frigate will conduct missions in the Mediterranean, thus confirming Romanias status as a security provider holding operational platforms deployable in various unstable regions in the world, where NATO military presence is required for security reasons. The frigate will conclude its missions in the Mediterranean in late October.

GUAM – Chisinau is hosting today a meeting of the Organisation for Democracy and Economic Development – GUAM heads of government. The organisation comprises the former Soviet republics of Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and the Republic of Moldova. Participants will discuss topics of mutual interest for the member states, with a view to improving cooperation between the 4 states, and will sign a cooperation protocol in the field of customs, Chisinau announced. On the sidelines of the summit, the Moldovan PM Pavel Filip will have meetings with his counterpart in Ukraine and Georgia, Volodimir Groisman and Mamuka Bakhtadze, and with the deputy PM of Azerbaijan, Ali Akhmedov. The Republic of Moldova this year is holding the rotating presidency of GUAM, an organisation created in 1997 as an alternative to the Community of Independent States.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

5 October 2018
September 30, 2018 UPDATE

RULE OF LAW – The situation in Romania, including the independence of the judiciary will be on the agenda of talks between the members of the European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs and the First Vice-President of the European Commission, Frans Timmermans. The talks are scheduled for Monday in Strasbourg. According to the website of the European Parliament, the preliminary opinion of the Venice Commission on three drafts to revise the Justice Laws, on the status of judges and prosecutors, judicial organisation and the functioning of the Superior Council of Magistracy will also be approached during the talks. The meeting is held ahead of Wednesdays debate in a plenary session of the EP in Strasbourg, on the rule of law in Romania, a debate that the Romanian PM Viorica Dăncilă has been invited to attend. Dăncilă has already held talks on this issue in Brussels, earlier this week, with the main groups in the European Parliament.

INDONESIA – The provisional death toll of the earthquake and ensuing tsunami which rocked the Indonesian island of Sulawesi on Friday stands at over 830 dead, the National Disaster Management Agency has announced. Many people are caught in the rubble, after several buildings collapsed following Fridays earthquake which measured 7.5 degrees and caused tsunami waves of up to 6 m in height. Rescue teams in the town of Palu, on the western coast of Sulawesi, are making huge efforts to take people out from under the rubble. Most victims have been identified in Palu. The Romanian Foreign Ministry has sent messages of condolence to the victims families. The ministry expresses compassion and solidarity with the Indonesian people and authorities and expresses deep regret over the high number of victims, as well as for the high volume of material damage caused by that natural disaster, the Romanian Foreign Ministry writes in a communiqué.

SOVEREIGN FUND – The Romanian Finance Ministry has launched a public debate on the setting up of the Sovereign Development and Investment Fund. The document establishes the legal form, the registered capital, the strategy and management of this fund which, in the governments opinion, is needed to mobilise the available financial resources and channel them towards profitable projects. According to the relevant ministry, this Sovereign Fund is also aimed at developing and financing profitable and sustainable investment projects, from own funds and from attracted funds. The fund will include 33 state owned companies and the registered capital will stand at some 2 billion Euros.

GUAM – The former Soviet states which are making up the GUAM group, namely Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and the Republic of Moldova, will join efforts and will better coordinate their positions to defend their territorial integrity, representatives of the GUAM member states have announced in Chisinau, during a session of the GUAM Parliamentary Assembly. The delegates have also criticised Russias involvement in fuelling territorial conflicts in the region. GUAM was set up in 2006, with the declared aim of developing cooperation between the member states, by boosting stability and common security in the European space. The Republic of Moldova, a country with a predominantly Romanian speaking population, is currently holding the presidency of this organisation.

TRANSPORTS – Road passenger traffic in Romania increased by some 14% in the first half of the year, as against the similar period of 2017, and air traffic by 7.5%, data released by the National Statistics Institute show. The n umber of passengers who travelled by plane in the first six months of the year stood at some 10 million, 86.6% of whom were registered on international flights. In exchange, railway passenger traffic decreased by 2.7% in terms of the number of passengers. A 23.4% drop was also reported on Romanias internal waterways. No passenger sea traffic was reported in the aforementioned time span.

TENNIS– Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, no.1 WTA, on Sunday abandoned the match she played with Tunisian Ons Jabeur, no.113 WTA, in the first round of the Beijing tennis tournament with some 8 million dollars in prize money, after the Tunsiain player won the first set 6-1. Halep is still affected by back problems. Another Romanian, Sorana Cirstea no.57 WTA, is facing Dutch Kiki Bertens no.11 WTA, whom she has defeated in all matches they have played so far. Although she was defeated by Slovenian Polona Hercog, Cîrstea made it to the main tables, after Australian Ashleigh Barty withdrew from the competition, after Fridays defeat. In the doubles, Romanian women players Mihaela Buzărnescu and Monica Niculescu have qualified for the second round, after defeating the pair Hao-Ching Chan (Taiwan)/Zhaoxuan Yang (China). Buzărnescu and Niculescu will face in the eighth finals the pair made up of Abigail Spears (the US)/Alicja Rosolska (Poland).

30 September 2018
September 30, 2018

INDONESIA – The provisional death toll of the earthquake and ensuing tsunami which rocked the Indonesian island of Sulawesi on Friday stands at over 830 dead, the National Disaster Management Agency has today announced. Many people are caught in the rubble, after several buildings collapsed following Fridays earthquake which measured 7.5 degrees and caused tsunami waves of up to 6m in height. Rescue teams in the town of Palu, on the western coast of Sulawesi, are making huge efforts to take people out from under the rubble. Most victims have been identified in Palu. The Romanian Foreign Ministry has sent messages of condolence to the victims families. The ministry expresses compassion and solidarity with the Indonesian people and authorities and expresses deep regret over the high number of victims, as well as for the high volume of material damage caused by that natural disaster, the Romanian Foreign Ministry writes in a communiqué.

SOVEREIGN FUND – The Romanian Finance Ministry has launched a public debate on the setting up of the Sovereign Development and Investment Fund. The document establishes the legal form, the registered capital, the strategy and management of this fund which, in the governments opinion, is needed to mobilise the available financial resources and channel them towards profitable projects. According to the relevant ministry, this Sovereign Fund is also aimed at developing and financing profitable and sustainable investment projects, from own funds and from attracted funds. The fund will include 33 state owned companies and the registered capital will stand at some 2 billion Euros.

GUAM – The former Soviet states which are making up the GUAM group, namely Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and the Republic of Moldova, will join efforts and will better coordinate their positions to defend their territorial integrity, representatives of the GUAM member states have announced in Chisinau, during a session of the GUAM Parliamentary Assembly. The delegates have also criticised Russias involvement in fuelling territorial conflicts in the region. GUAM was set up in 2006, with the declared aim of developing cooperation between the member states, by boosting stability and common security in the European space. The Republic of Moldova, a country with a predominantly Romanian speaking population, is currently holding the presidency of this organisation.

TRANSPORTS – Road passenger traffic in Romania increased by some 14% in the first half of the year, as against the similar period of 2017, and air traffic by 7.5%, data released by the National Statistics Institute show. The n umber of passengers who travelled by plane in the first six months of the year stood at some 10 million, 86.6% of whom were registered on international flights. In exchange, railway passenger traffic decreased by 2.7% in terms of the number of passengers. A 23.4% drop was also reported on Romanias internal waterways. No passenger sea traffic was reported in the aforementioned time span.

TENNIS– Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, no.1 WTA, exits the Beijing tennis tournament in the first round, with back pain. She abandoned the match she played against Ons Jabeur, no.113 WTA, after the Tunisian player won the first set 6-1. Another Romanian, Sorana Cirstea no.57 WTA, is facing Dutch Kiki Bertens no.11 WTA, whom she has defeated in all matches they have played so far. Although she was defeated by Slovenian Polona Hercog, Cîrstea made it to the main tables, after Australian Ashleigh Barty withdrew from the competition, after Fridays defeat. In the doubles, Romanian women players Mihaela Buzărnescu and Monica Niculescu have qualified for the second round, after defeating the pair Hao-Ching Chan (Taiwan)/Zhaoxuan Yang (China). Buzărnescu and Niculescu will face in the eighth finals the pair made up of Abigail Spears (the US)/Alicja Rosolska (Poland).

WORLD RECORD – Thousands of people-4807- particularly pupils and high-school students from all across Romania on Saturday set a new world record in the central Romanian town of Alba Iulia, by creating the largest human image of a country. Inside the map, they highlighted the number 100, by wearing white cloaks, as a way to celebrate 100 years since the setting up of the Romanian national unitary state. The old record belonged to Myanmar, where 3,466 people gathered in February 2018 to recreate the map of their country.

30 September 2018
Nachrichten 29.09.2018

Das rumänische Finanzministerium hat die Gesetzvorlage für den Rechtsrahmen des geplanten Staatsfonds zur Debatte freigegeben. Der Fonds ensteht demnach als rumänische Rechtsperson, deren Organisierungs- und Betriebsvorschriften durch Regierungsbeschluss festgelegt werden. Der Fonds werde als Aktiengesellschaft gegründet, die unmittelbar dem rumänischen Staat gehört. Ziel des Fonds, sei es, durch eigene und herangezogene Mittel ökonomisch sinnvolle und nachhaltige Projekte zu finanzieren. Der Fonds soll 33 Staatsunternehmen umfassen, das Stammkapital soll 9 Mrd. RON oder rund 2 Mrd. EUR betragen.

Teams rumänischer Polizeibeamten aus den Dezernaten Kriminal- und Verkehrspolizei sind bei Kontrollen auf 32 Fahrzeuge gesto‎ßen, die zur nationalen und internationalen Fahndung ausgeschrieben waren. Acht der Autos waren in Gro‎ßbritannien als gestohlen gemeldet, jeweils 5 in Belgien und Spanien, 4 in Italien, 3 in Deutschland, 2 in Frankreich und jeweils eines in Polen, Holland, Bulgarien, Ungarn und Rumänien. Die rumänische Polizei rät Kunden, die Fahrzeuge auf Gebrauchtmärkten oder im Internet kaufen wollen, zu Vorsicht. Sie sollten auf jeden Fall dem Verkäufer einen Herkunftsnachweis verlangen.

Die ukrainische Luftlinie “Ukraine International Airlines” führt mit Beginn zum 31. März 2019 Direktflüge zwischen der ukrainischen Hauptstadt Kiew und Bukarest ein. Nach einer Pressemeldung der Gesellschaft sollen auf der Strecke Boeing-Maschinen eingesetzt werden. Ein Flug kostet hin und zurück ab 591 Griwna oder 19 Euro, vorausgesetzt eine ausreichend frühe Buchung. Die Linie verfügt über 45 Flugzeuge und fliegt wöchentlich über 50 Ziele in Europa, Asien, Amerika, Afrika, im Nahen Osten sowie in der früheren Sowjetunion an.

Die sogenannte GUAM — Gruppe, gebildet aus Georgia, der Ukraine, Aserbaidschan und der Moldau, will sich in der Verteidigung enger abstimmen und ihre Anstrengungen bündeln. Das kündigten die Vertreter der vier Länder zum Anlass der parlamentarischen Versammlung der Gruppe in der moldauischen Hauptstadt Chişinău an. Sie kritisierten die Verwicklung Russlands in die Förderung von Gebietskonflikten und militärischen Aggressionen, vor allem in Georgien und der Ukraine. Die Staatengruppe GUAM wurde 2006 zum Ausbau der Zusammenarbeit unter den Mitgliedern sowie zur Konsolidierung der Stabilität und der gemeinsamen Sicherheit in Europa gegründet. Die Moldau hält in diesem Jahr die turnusmä‎ßige Präsidentschaft der GUAM-Gruppe inne.

Deutschland und die Türkei trennen nach den Worten von Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel trotz des Willens zur Normalisierung der Beziehungen nach wie vor “tiefgreifende Differenzen”. Nach einem gemeinsamen Treffen betonten sowohl der türkische Präsident Recep Tayyip Erdogan als auch Merkel am Freitag in Berlin trotzdem den Willen zu einer engeren Zusammenarbeit. “Deutschland hat ein Interesse an einer wirtschaftlich stabilen Türkei”, sagte die Kanzlerin. Gravierende Unterschiede wurden in der Menschenrechtspolitik sichtbar. Der türkische Präsident war zum offiziellen Auftakt seines Staatsbesuchs von Bundespräsident Frank-Walter Steinmeier empfangen worden.

29 September 2018
September 29, 2018 UPDATE

FUND – The Romanian Ministry of Public Finance
has launched a bill aimed at defining the legal framework for the Sovereign
Development and Investment Fund for public debate. The fund will be a Romanian
judicial entity whose organization and functioning are regulated by Government
decree. The Fund will be a joint stock company owned entirely by the Romanian
state. According to the Finance Ministry, the Fund is aimed at developing and
financing sustainable investment projects using its own funds. It will bring
together 33 state-owned companies, with a total social capital of some 2
billion euros.

MEETING – Romanian Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu
met with counterparts from Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Sri Lanka, Bahrain,
the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Laos on the sidelines of the UN General
Assembly held in New York. Additionally, the Romanian official met with his
Hungarian counterpart, Peter Szijjarto. According to a Ministry release, the
two officials looked at ways to improve bilateral relations, based on the Strategic
Partnership between the two countries, EU and NATO membership and mutual
respect. Talks focused on topics of mutual interest, especially supporting the
European track of states in the Western Balkans and the need to diversify
energy transport routes, in order to ensure energy security at regional and
European level.

LAW ENFORCEMENT – The Romanian Police has identified
32 vehicles wanted internationally. Eight were reported as stolen in the United
Kingdom, five in Belgium and Spain each, four in Italy, three in Germany, two
in France and one in Poland, the Netherlands, Bulgaria, Hungary and Romania
each. The Romanian Police recommends prudence to people who want to buy a
second-hand vehicle in trade fairs abroad and to ask the buyer for all the proper
car identification documents.

GUAM – Ex-soviet states making up the so-called
GUAM group – Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and the Republic of Moldova, will
join efforts to consolidate their positions and defend territorial integrity,
GUAM officials said as part of a GUAM Parliament Assembly held in Chisinau.
GUAM officials have criticized Russia’s involvement in fueling territorial
conflicts and military aggression, particularly in Georgia and Ukraine. GUAM
was set up in 2006, with the aim of developing cooperation between members,
consolidating stability and joint security at European level. The Republic of
Moldova is currently holding the rotating presidency of GUAM. Chisinau is
facing increased pro-Russian separatism in Transdniestr, a region the broke
with Moldova in 1992 in the wake of an armed conflict that killed hundreds and
that ended with the military intervention of Russian forces.

TSUNAMI – The Romanian Foreign Ministry has conveyed
its deepest condolences to the families of the victims of Friday’s earthquake
and ensuing tsunami that hit Sulawesi Island, the Republic of Indonesia, which
killed hundreds and left scores wounded or missing. The Ministry also expressed
compassion and solidarity with the Indonesian people and authorities, also in connection
to the high number of victims and the level of damages. Most casualties were
reported in Palu city on the western coast of the island.

RECORD – 4,807 people, mostly high-school children
from all over the country, on Saturday set a new world record in Alba Iulia,
central Romania, making up the largest human image of a country. The map of
Romania had the number 100 highlighted at its center, standing for the
celebration of the Great Union Centennial in 2018. The previous record was held
by Myanmar, where 3,466 people made a human representation of their country in
February 2018.

TENNIS – Romanian tennis players Irina Begu and
Raluca Olaru on Saturday lost 7-5, 6-3 to Olga Danilovic of Serbia and Tamara
Zdansek of Slovenia in the women’s doubles final at the tournament in Taskent,
Uzbekistan, totaling 250 thousand dollars in prize money. Olaru has previously
won the Taskent doubles twice, in 2008 alongside Olga Savchuk of Ukraine and in
2016 with Ipek Soylu of Turkey. Begu won the women’s singles in 2012.

(Translated by V. Palcu)

29 September 2018
September 29, 2018

TREASON CASE – The Directorate Investigating Organized Crime and
Terrorism in Romania (DIICOT) has announced that it has closed a case based on
the high treason accusations brought by Ludovic Orban, the president of the
National Liberal Party in opposition, against Prime Minister Viorica Dăncilă.
According to the Directorate, the case, which concerned the memorandum approved
by the Government with respect to the relocation of the Romanian Embassy from
Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, was dismissed because no breach of the law has been
established. The criminal complaint filed in May by Ludovic Orban also
concerned Liviu Dragnea, the president of the Social Democratic Party in power,
who was accused of unlawful disclosure of state secrets, Orban said at the
time.

MEETING – Romanian Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu
met with counterparts from Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Sri Lanka, Bahrain,
the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Laos on the sidelines of the UN General
Assembly held in New York. Additionally, the Romanian official met with his
Hungarian counterpart, Peter Szijjarto. According to a Ministry release, the
two officials looked at ways to improve bilateral relations, based on the
Strategic Partnership between the two countries, EU and NATO membership and
mutual respect. Talks focused on topics of mutual interest, especially
supporting the European track of states in the Western Balkans and the need to
diversify energy transport routes, in order to ensure energy security at
regional and European level.

LAW ENFORCEMENT – The Romanian Police has identified
32 vehicles wanted internationally. Eight were reported as stolen in the United
Kingdom, five in Belgium and Spain each, four in Italy, three in Germany, two
in France and one in Poland, the Netherlands, Bulgaria, Hungary and Romania
each. The Romanian Police recommends prudence to people who want to buy a
second-hand vehicle in trade fairs abroad and to ask the buyer for all the
proper car identification documents.

GUAM – Ex-soviet states making up the so-called
GUAM group – Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and the Republic of Moldova, will
join efforts to consolidate their positions and defend territorial integrity,
GUAM officials said as part of a GUAM Parliament Assembly held in Chisinau.
GUAM officials have criticized Russia’s involvement in fueling territorial
conflicts and military aggression, particularly in Georgia and Ukraine. GUAM
was set up in 2006, with the aim of developing cooperation between members,
consolidating stability and joint security at European level. The Republic of
Moldova is currently holding the rotating presidency of GUAM. Chisinau is
facing increased pro-Russian separatism in Transdniestr, a region the broke
with Moldova in 1992 in the wake of an armed conflict that killed hundreds and
that ended with the military intervention of Russian forces.

TSUNAMI – According to authorities in Indonesia,
some 400 people were killed in the earthquake and ensuing tsunami that hit
Sulawesi Island on Friday. Most casualties were reported in Palu city, hit by
tsunamis measuring three meters in height. The coms and power grid are
temporarily offline, while images flooding public media reveal dead bodies
amidst debris along the shoreline, international news agencies report.

HANDBALL – The Romanian women’s handball team
is today playing Poland’s B team as part of a training campaign ahead of the
European Championship hosted this year by France. The tournament will take
place over November 29 – December 16. Romania was drawn in Group D along with
Norway, Germany and the Czech Republic. At the European Championships of 2016,
Romania was ranked 5th.

TENNIS – Romanian tennis players Irina Begu and
Raluca Olaru on Saturday lost 7-5, 6-3 to Olga Danilovic of Serbia and Tamara
Zdansek of Slovenia in the women’s doubles final at the tournament in Taskent,
Uzbekistan, totaling 250 thousand dollars in prize money. Olaru has previously
won the Taskent doubles twice, in 2008 alongside Olga Savchuk of Ukraine and in
2016 with Ipek Soylu of Turkey. Begu won the women’s singles in 2012.

(Translated by V. Palcu)

29 September 2018
North Korea, a hot spot on the world’s map

Addressing the European Parliament on current issues on the international policy agenda, Mrs. Mogherini said that these sanctions are not a goal in themselves, but are just a means to open the gate for political negotiations, stressing that there are no military solutions for this crisis, as a military attack would be useless and would cause more damage than good.

At the same time, Mogherini appreciated the unitary approach of the EU countries that are also members of the Security Council, which spoke their view in a single voice. On the other side of the Atlantic, the President of the United States Donald Trump has stated that the latest sanctions imposed on Pyongyang are just a small step, and not what should normally happen in order to put an end to North Korea’s nuclear programme.

The latest sanctions, the toughest so far, limiting the imports of fuels and banning the exports of textiles, were imposed in response to the test conducted by North Korea on September 3rd, at an unprecedented level, and the middle-range missile attack in mid August. In a talk on Radio Romania, the political and military analyst Iulian Chifu spoke about Pyongyang’s aggressive policy and potential responses on the international community’s part:

Iulian Chifu: “We cannot speak of a war in the sense of a long-term war. In my opinion, in the worst-case scenario it will be the US plan of a surgical action, which, in just one night, will eliminate all nuclear and ballistic capabilities and the leadership of North Korea. Should a military action take place, this is how I believe it will unfold. That doesn’t mean that against the background of an unstable North Korea we are not going to have major issues. I would expect a Chinese invasion in northern Korea to stabilize the situation and maintain the buffer zone. I also don’t expect the West to come up with an intervention or attack formula for the region. It’s clear to me that everything will eventually be settled through negotiations, which are to take into account the situation on the ground at that time. And I believe that the South should be prepared for reunification. At any time there may be the risk of an attack, a show of force targeting South Korea as a pro-active pre-emptive strike. I believe though that reason will prevail and that there are also means to find a peaceful formula and avoid war except for an intervention of a surgical nature.”

From the viewpoint of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, North Korea’s nuclear programme poses a global threat, which requires a global response. This also includes NATO, as its secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg told the BBC. However, the NATO official didn’t specify whether an attack over the US territories in Guam might activate the Alliance’s collective defence principle. Guam, an American territory in the Pacific Ocean, is a major US outpost, which has attracted a lot of heat from Pyongyang’s propaganda machine. “I will not speculate about whether Article 5 will be applied in such a situation” Stoltenberg said. “We are now totally focused on how we can contribute to a peaceful solution of the conflict. “There is no easy way out of this difficult situation, but at the same time we have to continue to work for political solution, continue to press also the economic sanctions.”

In the aforementioned network, Russia and China have retained their special status.

The new sanctions voted by the Council are not as harsh as they appeared in the version prepared by the USA, with the concessions resulting in the aftermath of talks Washington held with Moscow and with Beijing, respectively, and the vote being the prerequisite for the talks. Shortly after the new measures had been voted, China reiterated its appeal for dialogue. We should note that China wants the denuclearization of the region, but to a greater extent, China wants stability.

Concurrently, Moscow highlighted the lack of an alterative solution to the North-Korean problem, through political and diplomatic means. Pundits are unanimously saying that a military conflict would be equally devastating for both Pyongyang and South Korea. At the same time, other analysys support the idea that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un seeks to obtain a nuclear defense rather than an open conflict.

15 September 2017