Radio România Internațional

Tag: Hamas

  • January 25, 2025

    January 25, 2025

    RATING The financial rating agency Standard & Poor’s confirmed Romania’s ‘BBB minus’ rating, but revised the outlook from “stable” to “negative”. The reasons are related to high fiscal and external risks, the agency reports. According to S&P, the fragmented and uncertain political environment, as well as all the substantial spending ahead of the elections, pushed the fiscal deficit to almost 8.7% of GDP, far above expectations. The Romanian finance minister Tánczos Barna says the change in the outlook from stable to negative indicates that measures are needed to reduce the budget deficit, and that the country needs a balanced public budget and a streamlined government structure. He also said that the government’s measures to reduce the deficit and consolidate economic growth must be implemented at an alert pace, in the form already agreed on with the EU.

     

    PROTESTS The government of Romania is completely willing to find solutions to protect people’s spending power while at the same time preserving macro-economic balance, the prime minister’s office chief said after talks with representatives of the employees who protested in front of the Government headquarters. On Friday, thousands of civil servants, reserve officers, police staff, miners, foresters, steelworkers, Bucharest Metro employees and pensioners took part in a rally to protest a government order that froze salary increases for many public sector personnel at the beginning of this year, and suspended the cost-of-living adjustment of public pensions. A reorganisation of central public institutions and state-owned companies was also announced these days. According to PM Marcel Ciolacu, restructuring the public sector is a priority for the current governing coalition comprising the Social Democratic Party, the National Liberal Party, and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania.

     

    UKRAINE The president of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu, is meeting today in Kyiv with the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, with PM Denys Shmykhal and with the Parliament Speaker, Ruslan Stefanchuk. The main topics of the discussions are the connection of the infrastructure of the two states, trade, collaboration in the EU accession process, and regional security. An important topic on the agenda is the energy crisis caused by Russia, which has increased energy prices and left the citizens of Transnistria, a Russian-speaking breakaway region in the Republic of Moldova, without heat and electricity. The rest of Moldova is safe for the time being, thanks to electricity and gas imports from neighboring Romania.

     

    ELECTIONS The Liberals will convene on Sunday in a special National Council meeting to validate the former party president Crin Antonescu as the joint candidate of the ruling coalition in Romania. The Social Democrats scheduled a special congress on February 2 for the same purpose, and UDMR will make its decision at the beginning of next week. The first and second rounds of the presidential elections are scheduled for May 4 and 18. So far, the mayor of Bucharest, Nicuşor Dan, the independent candidate Călin Georgescu and the president of Save Romania Union, Elena Lasconi, have announced plans to run for president. The latter two were top placed in the presidential elections canceled last year. After the first election round on November 24 was validated, the Constitutional Court of Romania canceled the election as a whole on December 6, although voting in the second round had already begun abroad. The Court made its decision after the Supreme Defence Council published a report indicating foreign interference in the electoral process, but investigations have so far failed to confirm it. Tens of thousands of Romanians took to the streets to demand that the second round be resumed.

     

    HOLOCAUST The minister of culture Natalia Intotero will represent Romania, on Monday, at the ceremony commemorating the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp in Poland. The event, held under the patronage of the president of Poland, marks the International Holocaust Remembrance Day declared by the United Nations, and brings together camp survivors, official delegations of states and international organisations. Romania’s participation in the ceremony on January 27 reflects its solid commitment to keeping alive the memory of the victims of the Holocaust, to fighting all forms of denial, distortion, or downplaying of this tragic moment, as well as to fighting anti-Semitism, xenophobia, radicalisation and hate speech, while at the same time promoting respect for fundamental human rights, both at national and international level, the Romanian culture ministry said.

     

    HOSTAGES Four Israeli female soldiers held hostage by Hamas since October 7, 2023, have reached Israel today. In exchange for them, Israel must release 200 Palestinians held in its prisons. This is the second prisoner exchange under the ceasefire that came into effect last Sunday between Israel and Hamas, after 15 months of war. In a first stage, which will last 6 weeks, 33 Israeli hostages are to be released in exchange for about 1,900 Palestinian prisoners. A Hamas attack on October 7, 2023 killed 1,210 Israelis, most of them civilians. Of the 251 people kidnapped, 91 are still in Gaza, 34 of whom are dead according to the Israeli army. In retaliation, Israel launched an offensive in the Gaza Strip, resulting in at least 47,000 casualties, most of them civilians, and a humanitarian disaster. (AMP)

  • January 19, 2025

    January 19, 2025

    UNIONS Romanian trade unionists ask the politicians in power to talk directly with the people, because social tensions are high, and the powder keg could explode at any moment. This warning was issued by the Cartel Alfa federation in a statement that says political decision-makers have abandoned open communication with Romanians. The budget deficit must be corrected by improving collection, but the government refuses to take any measures outside of recipes that have proven ineffective for years, Cartel Alfa also says.

     

    JOBS Nearly 33,000 positions are declared vacant by employers in Romania, the National Employment Agency announced. Most of them, over 20,000, are intended for unskilled applicants or primary and secondary school graduates. Another 10,000 jobs require high school, post-secondary school or vocational education. A little over 1,900 jobs require a degree, including positions as engineers in various sectors, computer programmers, financial and accounting experts or veterinarians. Also, employers from the European Economic Area offer employment through the EURES Romania network; 100 jobs are available in Germany and Spain, and another 27 in Austria, Ireland and Malta.

     

    ECONOMY The World Bank has revised downward its outlook for the Romanian economy this year, mainly due to the fiscal consolidation measures recently announced by the government. In its latest global economic outlook report, the World Bank lowers its estimate for Romania’s economic growth rate to 2.1% this year, as against 3.8% forecast in June 2024. Also, in 2026, Romania’s GDP growth is expected to be 2.6% compared to 3.8%, as estimated in June. On the other hand, economic growth in Central Europe is expected to recover to 2.8% in 2025 and 3% in 2026, thanks to robust private demand. Export growth in Central Europe is expected to remain modest due to slow progress in the Euro area. The level of investments, especially in Poland and Romania, is expected to improve, thanks to structural reforms and EU funding.

     

    MILITARY Hundreds of British military vehicles are on their way to Romania by ferry, in order to take part in a major NATO exercise, London announced. 2,400 British soldiers with 730 military vehicles will form the main battle group, supported by troops from five other NATO countries, with the United Kingdom assuming command of the land component. The new Allied Reaction Force (ARF) replaced the NATO Response Force (NRF) last year, and aims to respond quickly and effectively to any threat in times of peace, crisis or conflict.

     

    MIDDLE EAST A senior Israeli official said that Israel received a list of hostages in Gaza who are to be released today by the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas. Israel’s national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has resigned to protest the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, Israeli media reported today. Ben-Gvir’s far-right and ultranationalist party will leave the ruling coalition. After months of deadlock in the 15-month war in Gaza, a three-stage agreement was reached earlier this week. During an initial six-week ceasefire, 33 Israeli hostages held in Gaza are to be released in exchange for 1,904 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons, while the Israeli army is to pull out of densely populated areas in Gaza. Meanwhile, however, the army carried on its attacks in Gaza, where at least five people were killed.

     

    HANDBALL The women’s handball team CS Rapid Bucharest face today at home the Danish side Odense Handbold, in the Champions League Group B. The day before, in Group A, the Romanian champions CSM Bucharest defeated the Slovenian side Krim Mercator Ljubljana 36-23, also at home. In the same group, Gloria 2018 Bistriţa-Năsăud were defeated, away from home, by the Croatian team RK Podravka Vegeta Koprivnica, 26-25. In the group standings, CSM are in 4th place, with 10 points, and Gloria are in 6th place, with 6 points.

     

    TENNIS The Romanian-Ukrainian pair Gabriela Ruse/Marta Kostiuk qualified for the quarterfinals of the women’s doubles event at the Australian Open on Sunday, after defeating Hanyu Guo (China) / Alexandra Panova (Russia) 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (10/6). Ruse and Kostiuk have played two Grand Slam women’s doubles semifinals together, one in Melbourne in 2023 and one at Roland Garros in 2024. In the quarterfinals, they will take on Su-Wei Hsieh (Taiwan) and Jelena Ostapenko (Latvia). (AMP)

  • January 17, 2025

    January 17, 2025

     

    RUSSIA The Romanian ministry of foreign affairs firmly condemns the Russian forces’ irresponsible attacks that violate all the norms of international law, and emphasises that Russia’s illegal and unprovoked aggression against Ukraine generates risks for the entire region. The statement was made as the monitoring and surveillance systems of Romania’s defence ministry Friday morning noted violations of Romanian airspace, in Tulcea county, after Russian forces resumed their drone attacks on civilian targets and port infrastructure in Ukraine. ‘Respect for sovereignty, security and peace are obligations that the Russian Federation violates systematically and without provocation. The persistent aggressive actions, the illegal occupation of some of the neighboring territories and the illegal full-scale war that Russia has been waging for almost 3 years against a sovereign neighbor are a persistent and serious threat not only to Ukraine but to the entire Black Sea region and NATO’s eastern flank,’ the foreign ministry says. The foreign ministry and the defence ministry also mention that they have been informing NATO in real time about the situations caused by these attacks, and remain in permanent contact with it.

     

    PROTESTS Several thousand police officers and employees from defence, public order and national security institutions, as well as reserve officers from all over Romania take part in a protest in Bucharest today. They are unhappy with a government order that has significantly reduced their incomes. The act scraps overtime pay and payments for days worked on weekends or public holidays. The protesters argue that the income of operational police officers will be severely affected, with decreases ranging between EUR 200 and 2,000. The participants are marching towards the ministry of finance, the ministry of justice, the labour ministry, and the interior ministry, with the government headquarters as their final destination.

     

    ELECTIONS The first round of the presidential elections in Romania will take place on May 4, and the second round on May 18, the government has decided. Stricter rules have also been set for the election campaign, especially regulating online campaigns. Failure to comply with them may entail fines for major online platforms of up to 5% of their turnover. Romanians in the diaspora will still have 3 days to vote, but on the last day, that is, on Sunday, polling stations will close at 9:00 p.m. Romanian time, regardless of the local time zone. The new provisions have been criticised by several NGOs. The presidential election was cancelled at the end of last year by the Constitutional Court, on grounds that the election process had been flawed.

     

    FLU Flu vaccination remains the easiest, safest and most effective protection method against seasonal diseases, Romanian doctors reiterate amid increases in the number of respiratory infections. Specialists emphasise that as the percentage of the vaccinated population increased, flu viruses spread less in communities decreases. A National Institute for Public Health report shows that the number of people diagnosed with respiratory infections has doubled, with almost 91,000 cases reported in the last week. There are almost 600 patients diagnosed with clinical flu and over 200 for whom lab tests have confirmed infection with the flu virus, most of them in Bucharest, Cluj, Braşov, Constanţa, Alba and Galaţi. Five more people have died from the flu, bringing the death toll since the beginning of the season up to 9.

     

    MIDDLE EAST Israel and Hamas have officially signed a ceasefire and hostage release agreement in Gaza, after overcoming last-minute disputes. The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced that the Security Cabinet and the government are meeting later today to ratify the document. The US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said he expects the implementation of the agreement to begin on Sunday as planned, with the release of the first 3 Israeli hostages. At least one of the far-right Israeli ministers who oppose the agreement has resigned. According to Radio Romania’s correspondent in Israel, political life in Israel is shaping up to be troubled, with a great potential for surprises and even changes.

     

    TENNIS The Romanian tennis players Gabriela Ruse and Jaqueline Cristian, in separate pairs, qualified for the second round of the women’s doubles event at the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam tournament of the year, after winning their respective matches on Friday in Melbourne. Ruse and Ukraine’s Marta Kostiuk won against the Australians Destanee Aiuava and Maddison Inglis 6-4, 7-6 (7/2), and in the second round they will face strong opponents in Elise Mertens (Belgium) and Ellen Perez (Australia), seeded 6th. Jaqueline Cristian and her Italian partner Camilla Rosatello defeated Cristina Bucşa (Spain) / Iana Sizikova (Russia) 6-2, 6-7 (2/7), 6-4. Cristian and Rosatello will next face Leylah Fernandez (Canada) and Nadia Kicenok (Ukraine), seeded 16th. In another first-round match in the women’s doubles, Monica Niculescu and Sofia Kenin (US) were defeated by Miyu Kato (Japan) / Renata Zarazua (Mexico), 6-4, 6-4. In the men’s doubles, the Romanian-Argentine pair Victor Cornea / Mariano Navone were defeated in the second round by Germany’s Kevin Krawietz / Tim Puetz, 4-6, 6-1. (AMP)

  •  One year since the October 7 attacks

     One year since the October 7 attacks

    Israel commemorates  the victims of last year’s unprecedented attack by the Islamist organization Hamas.

     

    Israel marks one year since the October 7 attack by Hamas, the bloodiest in the country’s history and which triggered the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip. On that day commandos of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, penetrated to southern Israel, using explosives and bulldozers to pass the barrier that surrounds the Palestinian territory, randomly killing people in kibbutzim, in military bases and at the site of a music festival, on a Jewish religious holiday. The surprise attacks were not directed against an army, as in conventional warfare. Hamas militants took their anger out on civilians.

     

    On that fateful day, hundreds of innocent people died, massacred in their own homes, on the street, or in their cars. The terrorists shot everything that moved around them. Almost 1,200 Israelis were killed in a single day. The brutality shown by Hamas was unprecedented. It was just the beginning of the disaster. Thousands of rockets were launched from the Gaza Strip in a short period of time, and the famous “Iron Dome” anti-aircraft shield could not cope with the pace of the strikes. Cities such as Ashkelon, Ashdod or Tel Aviv strongly felt the impact of the shells. As a result, the Israeli military launched a forceful intervention to eliminate the danger.

     

    Although it managed to stop the Hamas incursion, the army failed to rescue on time 251 civilians taken hostage. Subsequently, the Israeli army launched a strong offensive against the Palestinian territory, with the objective of destroying Hamas, in power since 2007, an organization designated as a terrorist group by the United States and the EU.

     

    The paralysis, on October 7, 2023, for more than eight hours, of the Israeli military’s ability to respond to aggression is still inexplicable. The operation had been secretly prepared for two years and the Israeli intelligence services said they were not aware of the existence of such a plan. In retaliation, Israel vowed to annihilate the Hamas organization. Since the beginning of the war until today, hundreds of Israeli soldiers have lost their lives.

     

    Israel’s objective to destroy Hamas has had an enormous impact on civilians and infrastructure in the Palestinian enclave, one of the most densely populated areas in the world. This ongoing war has killed more than 41,000 people, mostly civilians, according to Hamas, and triggered a major humanitarian crisis.

     

    The expansion of the Israeli colonies to the Palestinian territories, the isolation of the Arab population in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip by erecting separation walls, the strong social exclusion of the Palestinians in the Israeli society, the ethnic segregation in the government institutions and the lack of equal opportunities fuelled the inter-ethnic conflict.

     

    The magnitude of the October 7 attack has been fuelling division and hatred around the world: virulent demonstrations, extreme polarization and an explosion of anti-Semitic acts, to the point where European and American officials recently evoked at the UN “a tsunami of anti-Semitism” in the last year.

     

  • The Week in Review

    The Week in Review

    Amnesty for debtors

     

    The government of Romania Wednesday passed a draft emergency order introducing a tax amnesty for companies and individuals. The document provides for bonuses for those who pay their taxes on time, and for those who agree to pay their back taxes. At the end of August, legal entities and private taxpayers had a total of over EUR 14 billion in debts to the state budget. The government invites taxpayers to cover these amounts by November 25, in exchange for having their interests and penalties written off. On the other hand, the government offers a 3% deduction for the taxpayers who do not fall behind on their taxes. The bill, drafted by the finance ministry, also comprises austerity measures for the public sector, which involve ceilings on the procurement of goods and services.

     

    Donation for Ukraine

     

    The president of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, Thursday signed into law the bill on the donation of a Patriot surface-to-air missile system purchased from the USA to third countries. The legislation, previously endorsed in Parliament, approves a donation agreed on with the American partner to Russia-invaded Ukraine. Also, under the law, “the government of Romania is authorised to take the required measures to rebuild the ground-based air defence capability” by assigning contracts to the US government for the procurement of another Patriot system.

     

    Support for Israel

     

    Romania firmly condemns the terror attacks against Israel and calls on all the parties involved to help restore security and to contribute to a ceasefire agreement. This was the message conveyed on Thursday in Jerusalem by the PM Marcel Ciolacu, at a meeting with his Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu. According to Radio Romania’s correspondent, Ciolacu voiced concern with respect to the security situation and the risk of conflict escalation. Accompanied by the ministers of defence, foreign affairs and economy, the PM was on an official working visit to Israel, whose agenda also included a meeting with the president of Israel, Isaac Herzog. This is the second visit by the Romanian PM to Israel in less than a year, after the one on October 17, 2023, ten days after Israel had been attacked by the Hamas Islamist group.

     

    European Commissioner Post for Romania

     

    The Social Democratic MEP Roxana Mînzatu is Romania’s official proposal for the post of European Commissioner. The announcement was made on Monday by Prime Minister Ciolacu, who said that he would discuss with the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, about the portfolio that Romania will manage. The makeup of the future European Executive is to be announced on September 11. Also in Brussels, the Romanian MEP Siegfried Mureșan (from the European People’s Party Group) was designated by the political groups of the European Parliament as chief negotiator of the future multiannual budget of the European Union post-2027. Covering a period of over 7 years, it has a total value of approximately 1,300 billion Euros, being the pool from which the member states receive the largest part of the non-reimbursable European funds for investments and for agricultural subsidies. The Parliament is to set its priorities regarding the EU’s multiannual budget. They will be forwarded to the European Commission to be included in the draft budget. From the current multi-annual financial year, 2021 – 2027, Romania benefits from around 46 billion Euros, to which the amounts from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan are also added.

     

    Jam on the road to presidency

     

    The Romanian Mircea Geoană resigned on Tuesday from the position of NATO Deputy Secretary General. It is the end of a five-year mandate, marked by the war in Ukraine and the withdrawal of allied troops from Afghanistan. Geoana said, in an interview for Radio Romania, that he would continue to use his influence to promote Romanians in international forums, including NATO, and that he felt the need to return to domestic politics. The press had been anticipating this announcement for more than two years already, and considered Geoană’s candidacy, as an independent, very likely in the presidential election due at the end of the year. A former ambassador to the United States, a former foreign minister and former Social Democratic leader, Geoană also ran for presidency in 2009, when he lost to Traian Băsescu. Other candidates to  Romania’s presidency are all the leaders of the parliamentary parties: Marcel Ciolacu (Social Democratic Party – PSD), Nicolae Ciucă (National Liberal Party – PNL), Elena Lasconi (Save Romania Union – USR), George Simion (The Alliance for the Union for Romanians – AUR) or Kelemen Hunor (The Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania – UDMR). (AMP, LS)

  • August 17, 2024 UPDATE

    August 17, 2024 UPDATE

    WEATHER Meteorologists have issued code red alerts for extremely hot weather for seven counties in south-western Romania, whose residents are bracing up for temperatures up to 40 degrees Celsius these days. Another eight counties and the capital city Bucharest are under a code orange alert for hot weather and a higher temperature-humidity index. The highs of the day here are to stay around 38 degrees Celsius, while in the rest of the territory they will range between 34 and 37 degrees.

     

    STATISTICS Greenhouse gas emissions caused by economic activities in the EU dropped in 20 member countries last year, remained stable in Cyprus and rose in Romania, Malta, Lithuania, Latvia, Greece and Slovenia. The most significant reductions of these gases have been reported by Bulgaria, over 15% and Germany 7%. The process of curbing the greenhouse gas emissions has affected Europe’s GDP, which grew only 0.3%, according to Eurostat. Out of the 20 countries, which managed to curb their gas emissions, eight have also reported a drop in GDP, whereas 12 have announced minor GDP growths.

     

    FAIR The Gaudeamus Book Fair staged by Radio Romania remains open in the historical center of the city of Sibiu in central Romania over the weekend. The 15 pavilion book fair has brought together over 40 exhibitors, which include some of Romania’s best-known publishing houses as well as a series of suppliers of books, games, music and other educational materials. Gaudeamus book fair also includes editorial events, book launches and autograph shows, which can be watched online at gaudeamus.ro.

     

    FIRES The Romanian firefighters who are helping in the efforts of putting out fires in Greece were given a new assignment on Saturday, namely to monitor two regions in Attica. According to a press release by the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations (IGSU), 16 firefighters with four fire engines have been deployed to Agia Kiriaki, while another 15-strong rescue team is ready to intervene in Rafina. Both teams are accompanied by Greek liaison officers, and according to IGSU, are in stand-by, ready to intervene under the coordination of their Greek counterparts. The regions where the two Romanian teams have been deployed are known for being at higher risk of wildfires at this time of the year.

     

    MIDDLE EAST Talks regarding a ceasefire and the release of the Israeli hostages held by the Islamist Palestinian movement Hamas in the Gaza Strip are to be resumed in Cairo next week around a fresh US proposal. The information is included in a joint statement issued in Doha by the USA, Qatar and Egypt, the main mediators between Israel and Hamas. Washington presented a roadmap, which includes several stages for the cessation of hostilities and the release of the hostages kidnapped during the Hamas attack in southern Israel on October 7th. Now the way is open to save lives, to help the population in Gaza and reduce regional tensions – the mediator countries say. In response Hamas rejected the new Israeli conditions – two Hamas representatives told France Press. According to them, the new conditions include the presence of the Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip along its border with Egypt. The war that followed the Hamas attack in October led to a disastrous situation for almost all the 2.4 million famished Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Furthermore, the Israeli bombardments and onslaught have caused the death of roughly 40 thousand Palestinians, mostly civilians.

    (bill)

  • August 17, 2024

    August 17, 2024

    WEATHER Meteorologists have issued code red alerts for extremely hot weather for seven counties in south-western Romania, whose residents are bracing up for temperatures up to 40 degrees Celsius. Another eight counties and the capital city Bucharest are under a code orange alert for hot weather and a higher temperature-humidity index. The highs of the day here are to stay around 38 degrees Celsius, while in the rest of the territory they will be between 34 and 37 degrees.

     

    STATISTICS Greenhouse gas emissions caused by economic activities in the EU  last year dropped in 20 member countries, remained stable in Cyprus and rose in Romania, Malta, Lithuania, Latvia, Greece and Slovenia. The most significant reductions of these gases have been reported by Bulgaria, over 15% and Germany 7%. The process of curbing the greenhouse gas emissions has affected Europe’s GDP, which grew only 0.3%, according to Eurostat. Out of the 20 countries, which managed to curb their gas emissions, eight have also reported a drop in GDP, whereas 12 have announced minor GDP growths.

     

    FAIR The Gaudeamus Book Fair staged by Radio Romania remains open in the historical center of the city of Sibiu in central Romania over the weekend. In all its 15 pavilions, the book fair has brought together over 40 exhibitors, which include some of Romania’s best-known publishing houses as well as a series of suppliers of books, games, music and other educational materials. Gaudeamus book fair also includes editorial events, book launches and autograph shows, which can be watched online at gaudeamus.ro.

     

    MIDDLE EAST Talks regarding a ceasefire and the release of the Israeli hostages held by the Islamist Palestinian movement Hamas in the Gaza Strip are to be resumed in Cairo next week around a fresh US proposal. The information is included in a joint statement issued in Doha by the USA, Qatar and Egypt, the main mediators between Israel and Hamas. Washington presented a roadmap, which includes several stages for the cessation of hostilities and the release of the hostages kidnapped during the Hamas attack in southern Israel on October 7th. Now the way is open to save lives, to help the population in Gaza and reduce regional tensions – the mediator countries say. In response Hamas rejected the new Israeli conditions – two Hamas representatives told France Press. According to them, the new conditions include the presence of the Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip along its border with Egypt. The war that followed the Hamas attack in October led to a disastrous situation for almost all the 2.4 million famished Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Furthermore, the Israeli bombardments and onslaught have caused the death of roughly 40 thousand Palestinians, mostly civilians.

    (bill)

  • July 31, 2024

    July 31, 2024

    OLYMPICS – Romanian athletes are competing on Wednesday, at the Olympic Games in Paris, in rowing, swimming, judo, table tennis, archery and triathlon. Japan remains in the top position in the medal standings at the Paris Olympics after Tuesday’s races, the fourth official day of competition, while Romania is 16th after the gold won by swimmer David Popovici in the 200m freestyle race on Monday. On Tuesday, David Popovici also qualified to the semifinals of the 100 m freestyle event. The final is taking place today. The Romanian artistic gymnastics team competed in the women’s team finals and finished in 7th place, 12 years after their previous participation, at the London Olympics, when they took the bronze medal. Romanian rowers Ancuța Bodnar and Simona Radiş, the Olympic champions in women’s double rowing, qualified, on Tuesday, to Final A. At the same time, Romanian rowers Florin Arteni and Florin Lehaci qualified to the final in men’s double sculls, after winning the first semi-final.

     

    FIRES – 40 Romanian firefighters with 8 technical means left for Greece on Tuesday, where several wildfires are active. The mission lasts until September 15, the purpose of the program being to reduce the response time in the event of forest fires and improve interoperability between the participating forces. The head of the Romanian Department for Emergencies, Raed Arafat told the firefighters that, although they are going on a support mission, the situation is difficult in Greece and, most likely, they will participate in the interventions. The mission of the Romanian firefighters is part of the assistance program financed by the EU, provided as a measure of support for the Greek communities, after the devastating fires recorded in the past years.

     

    TAROM – TAROM flights to and from Beirut have been suspended on Wednesday and Thursday, amid the growing tensions in the Middle East and following the alert issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bucharest to avoid any travel to this region, the national air operator announced. Other European countries have also suspended their flights on the Beirut route. Several countries, including Romania, Germany, Great Britain and the Netherlands, have urged their citizens to leave Lebanon urgently, due to growing concerns about a possible large-scale retaliation by Israel, after Saturday’s rocket attack that killed 12 young people on the Golan Heights and for which the Lebanese group Hezbollah is accused. The Israeli army said it carried out a targeted strike in the area of ​​the Lebanese capital against the Hezbollah command on Tuesday evening.

     

    FRAUD – The European Public Prosecutor’s Office alerted Romania regarding several cases of fraud, including one with a possible damage of 4.3 million euros, involving a mafia group from Italy. The institution led by the Romanian Laura Codruţa Kovesi informed the Ministry of Investments and European Projects in Bucharest that there are possible systemic vulnerabilities in contracts with European funds in the country. The European Public Prosecutor’s Office has signaled a high risk of fraud with letters of guarantee issued by fictitious entities or which did not have the right to issue such documents. According to a press release by the European institution, based on these false documents, several public tenders were won and then ended up being investigated.

     

    HAMAS – The Palestinian group Hamas said that its leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in Iran, in an Israeli raid on his residence in the capital Tehran. The President of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, condemned the “coward assassination” of the political leader of Hamas. Turkey also condemned the assassination of Ismail Hanyeh, a close associate of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. A spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Nasser Kanaani, said that the blood of the assassinated Hamas leader will not be wasted. We remind you that the war in the Gaza Strip broke out on October 7, 2023, when Hamas committed an attack in southern Israel that led to the death of nearly 1,200 people, most of them civilians. Another 250 people were kidnapped then. In response, Israel promised to destroy Hamas, in power since 2007 in the Palestinian territory, which it sees as a terrorist organization, a position shared by the US and the EU. (EE)

     

  • עברו ארבעה חודשים מאז הטבח ב-שביעי באוקטובר

    עברו ארבעה חודשים מאז הטבח ב-שביעי באוקטובר

    עברו 4 חודשים מאז הטבח ב-7 באוקטובר, מסרה שגרירות ישראל ברומניה ב-7 בפברואר 2024. אנו הרוסים מהידיעה על מותם של 32 בני ערובה, מבין 136 השבויים בעזה, שנרצחו באכזריות על ידי מחבלי חמאס. בעודנו מתאבלים על מותם של בני הערובה, אנו מפנים את מחשבותינו אל המשפחות השכולות: אנו מבטיחים כי לא נוותר על משימתנו לפחות לתת להם את ההזדמנות לקבור את יקיריהם שנרצחו באכזריות.



    הידיעה האכזרית הזו מזכירה לנו את החשיבות המכרעת של כל רגע שעובר עבור בני הערובה שלנו שעדיין בחיים ובשבי בעזה ואנו מתפללים לשובם הביתה, נמסר מטעם הנציגות הדיפלומטית של ישראל בבוקרשט.

  • January 29, 2024 UPDATE

    January 29, 2024 UPDATE

    PUTIN The incumbent president
    of Russia, Vladimir Putin, is running for another term in office in the
    presidential election due over March 15 and 17, the Central Election Committee
    has been quoted by the Russian and international press agencies as saying.
    According to these sources, both the supporters and opponents of the Kremlin
    leader are expecting him to win a new 6-year mandate. If Putin completed this
    mandate he could become the longest-lived Russian leader since the 18th
    century. A former agent of the Soviet political police, the KGB, and former
    Prime Minister, Putin got his first mandate as a president in 2000, a
    designated successor of Russia’s post-soviet president Boris Yeltsin. In 2008,
    when the Constitution didn’t allow him a third consecutive mandate, he formally
    ceded his seat to Dmitri Medvedev, but he remained the strongman of the Russian
    politics. Since the amended Constitution of 2012 Vladimir Putin has
    uninterruptedly held the presidential seat of the Russian Federation. His
    regime has been marked by the bloody reprisals against the breakaway
    insurrection in Chechnya, the elimination of his domestic opposition, the
    invasion of Georgia in 2008 and Ukraine in 2022.




    ORDINANCE Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu on Monday announced
    that he decided to extend for another 60 days the ordinance on capping trade
    mark-ups in basic staple. Ciolacu says that according to data released by the
    National Institute for Statistics, prices in December 2023 were 5.8% higher
    than a year before, whereas before the introduction of the aforementioned
    measure, the difference in prices between June 2023 and June 2022 was nearly
    18%.




    FUNDS The
    Romanian Foreign Ministry on Monday voiced maximum concern about the latest
    severe accusations regarding the alleged involvement of some of the personnel
    of the UN Agency for Relief and Works for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) in the
    Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel on October 7th. The Romanian
    Ministry says that until the completion of the investigation into the
    aforementioned allegations it will not release new procedures for volunteer
    contributions to the UNRWA. The Ministry recalls that Romania has firmly
    condemned the terrorist attacks on October 7th and voiced regret for
    the victims, the hostages taken, and made an appeal for their release. We
    recall that several countries, including the USA, Canada, the UK, Italy and Germany
    have suspended their funding to the UNRWA until the completion of the
    investigation into the aforementioned allegations.




    IMF An
    International Monetary Fund mission headed by Jan Kees Martijn arrived in
    Bucharest on Monday to review the latest economic and financial developments.
    This is a regular consultation based on Romania’s relation with the IMF, and it
    comes 4 months after the previous visit. The IMF expects a budget deficit of 6%
    of GDP and an economic growth rate of 2.3% this year. IMF experts also
    recommend a number of additional reforms, and in the previous assessment visit
    they mentioned the scrapping of the remaining exemptions, privileges and
    loopholes, a more efficient VAT implementation, a reformed property tax system,
    and the use of fiscal policies in order to promote efficient energy and the
    clean energy transition. Romania has no ongoing agreements with the IMF at
    present.


    (bill)

  • Nachrichten 18.12.2023

    Nachrichten 18.12.2023

    Die Regierung hat dem Parlament den kürzlich verabschiedeten Haushaltsplan für den Staat und die Sozialversicherung für 2024 zur Debatte vorgelegt. Für die Beratungen in den Ausschüssen und im Plenum wurde eine knappe Frist gesetzt, die Schlussabstimmung ist für Mittwoch vorgesehen. Die Regierung erwartet ein Wirtschaftswachstum von 3,4 %, mit dem Ziel, die Steuereinnahmen zu erhöhen und die Steuerhinterziehung zu verringern. Investitionen und Verkehr werden zusätzliche Mittel erhalten. Auch die Investitionen werden im nächsten Jahr auf fast 7 % des BIP steigen, während für das Bildungswesen der größte Haushalt in der Geschichte vorgesehen ist. Auch die Renten werden voraussichtlich ab dem 1. Januar um 13,8 % steigen, wobei eine Neuberechnung für September vorgesehen ist. Der Haushaltsentwurf sieht auch Mittel für die Erhöhung von Zulagen und Sozialleistungen sowie der Lehrergehälter vor. Die Regierung will auch die Gehälter im öffentlichen Dienst um 5 % anheben. Die Opposition hat Hunderte von Änderungsanträgen eingereicht, in denen sie die Pläne des Haushaltsplans als unrealistisch bezeichnet und Daten von Wirtschaftswissenschaftlern zitiert, denen zufolge Dutzende von Milliarden aus dem geschätzten Haushalt ausgelassen wurden, wodurch sich das Haushaltsdefizit noch vergrößern könnte.



    Die israelische Armee hat neue Details veröffentlicht, die bestätigen, dass die versehentliche Tötung von drei Geiseln aus dem Gazastreifen durch israelische Streitkräfte einen Verstoß gegen die Einsatzregeln darstellt. Die israelischen Truppen eröffneten das Feuer auf drei Personen, die das Gebäude ohne Hemd verließen, um zu beweisen, dass sie keine Bomben bei sich trugen und eine weiße Fahne mit der Aufschrift SOS und Help 3 hostages mit sich führten. Nach Angaben des Korrespondenten von Radio Rumänien vor Ort hat der Vorfall die Spannungen weiter verschärft und den Druck auf die israelische Regierung erhöht, eine Einigung mit der Hamas über die Befreiung der etwa 120 Geiseln zu erzielen, die im Gazastreifen noch immer gefangen gehalten werden. Unterdessen gab die IDF die Entdeckung des größten Tunnels bekannt, der von den Hamas-Islamisten in Gaza benutzt wird.



    Eine Gruppe von 14 Personen, bestehend aus rumänischen Staatsbürgern und ihren Familien, wurde sicher aus dem Gazastreifen evakuiert und ist in Rumänien angekommen, berichtet das Außenministerium. Die Menschen wurden am Samstag über den Kontrollpunkt Rafah nach Ägypten evakuiert, wo Vertreter der rumänischen Botschaft in Ägypten sie nach Kairo begleiteten. Dort bestiegen sie einen Flug nach Rumänien. Bislang wurden 302 Personen, rumänische Staatsbürger und Familienangehörige, aus dem Gazastreifen evakuiert. Das rumänische Außenministerium erklärt, es stehe in ständigem Kontakt mit den israelischen und ägyptischen Behörden, um je nach den Entwicklungen vor Ort bei der Evakuierung der übrigen Bürger zu helfen.



    Die Stadt Timișoara (West) gedenkt der Menschen, die während der antikommunistischen Revolution von 1989 in Rumänien ihr Leben verloren haben. In der Heldenkapelle des Revolutionsmuseums wird ein Gottesdienst abgehalten, gefolgt von einer Prozession zu den Denkmälern, die der Revolution gewidmet sind. Vor 34 Jahren eröffneten die Sicherheitskräfte auf Befehl des kommunistischen Regimes das Feuer auf die Demonstranten, töteten fast 100 Menschen und verletzten mehrere hundert. Am 18. Dezember wurde in Timișoara nach dem Massaker vom Vortag, bei dem Dutzende von Menschen getötet wurden, das Kriegsrecht verhängt. Krankenhäuser wurden überrannt, die Straßen durch Panzer und taktische Fahrzeuge blockiert und eine allgemeine Ausgangssperre verhängt. Dies war der Tag, an dem mehrere junge Menschen auf den Stufen der orthodoxen Kathedrale niedergeschossen wurden.

  • December 17, 2023

    December 17, 2023

    Budget. The 2024 state budget and social insurance bills enter parliament debate in Bucharest on Monday, the two draft laws being analyzed by the specialized committees. On Tuesday, the two Chambers will start the debates in joint session. The final vote is expected on Wednesday. The Romanian government approved, on Thursday evening, the draft laws on the state budget and the state social insurance budget for next year. In 2024, the executive relies on the absorption of European funds and counts on increasing the collection of fees and taxes through a better functioning of the National Agency for Fiscal Administration and of the customs, as well as on reducing tax evasion. Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, the leader of the Social Democratic Party, spoke of an increase in revenues from 27% to 30% of the Gross Domestic Product. He says that in the 2024 budget, the sums allocated for investments, but also for education, are the largest in the history of Romania. The opposition claims, however, that the budget is based on unrealistic figures, and a major problem next year will be the payment of pensions.



    Commemoration. Its a day of mourning today in the western city of Timisoara, in memory of the heroes who lost their lives during the anti-communist Revolution of December 1989. December 17 is the day when dictator Nicolae Ceauşescu ordered the repression forces to open fire on the demonstrators. Today, memorial services are held in churches and at the Metropolitan Cathedral of Timisoara, and wreaths are laid by local authorities and revolutionary associations at the monuments dedicated to those who sacrificed their lives for freedom. Saturday was an open gates day at the Museum of the “Revolution Memorial” Association in Timisoara.. There were also exhibitions, concerts, a festive meeting of the City Council and a march in memory of the martyred heroes. The revolt against the communist regime in Romania broke out in Timişoara on December 16, 1989 and then spread, starting December 21, to Bucharest and other cities across the country. In total, over 1,000 people died and around 3,000 were injured in the fighting that took place in the only country in Eastern Europe where the regime change took place violently.



    Hostage. Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu has stressed that Romania is with the international community in supporting the efforts of the State of Israel to release all the hostages kidnapped by Hamas. “The death of the 27-year-old artist Inbar Haiman, aka Pink, killed by Hamas terrorists, deeply saddened me. My heart goes out to her family and friends “, he wrote on social media today. According to the prime minister, negotiations to resolve conflicts are the viable solution for restoring peace and security in the region. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bucharest had announced, on Saturday, the death of another hostage with dual citizenship, Israeli and Romanian, in the Gaza Strip, and the Embassy of the State of Israel in Bucharest announced her identity. The MFA communique reiterates the need for the release of all hostages in the Gaza Strip and emphasizes that, currently, only one Romanian with dual Israeli and Romanian citizenship is still a hostage there. The Romanian Embassy in Tel Aviv is in permanent contact with the Israeli authorities.



    Schengen. Hungary will veto Bulgarias entry into the Schengen Area if Sofia does not remove the transit tax for Russian gas, the Hungarian Foreign Ministry announced on Saturday in a statement, Reuters reports. While Western European countries have made great efforts to get rid of Russian gas, landlocked Hungary has received 4.5 billion cubic meters of gas a year from Russia under a deal signed in 2021, mainly via Bulgaria and Serbia. We recall that at the European Council on Friday in Brussels, the Netherlands officially announced that it agreed with Bulgarias entry into the European area of ​​free movement. In this context, the only country that should change its position and accept the accession of Romania and Bulgaria – states that technically meet the necessary criteria – to Schengen is Austria. Over the last year, Vienna has spoken out against the enlargement of the free movement area, citing the fact that it is not functional as many unregistered migrants arrive in central and western Europe. Late last year, Austria voted against the accession of either country in the Schengen area, while the Netherlands opposed only Bulgaria.



    Alert. The population of several communes in Tulcea county, in the south-east of Romania, received a new RO-ALERT warning message on the night of Saturday to Sunday about the possibility of objects falling from the airspace, in the context of the war started by Russia against neighboring Ukraine. Citizens were advised to take protection and shelter measures, if the situation required it. According to the Inspectorate for Emergency Situations, the structures responsible for the defense of the territory of Romania and NATO have identified possible attacks on some Ukraine targets in the border area with the Romanian state. Following the RO-ALERT message, no call was received to signal the fall of objects on the territory of Romania. We recall that three days ago, a drone used by Russia in the attack on the Ukrainian region of Odesa fell near the border with Romania, in the area of ​​a locality in the same county. The, too, the citizens received a warning message. (MI)


  • Call for freeing the hostages in Gaza

    Call for freeing the hostages in Gaza


    The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a major concern for the international community, which is seeking solutions to restore peace.



    The UN General Assembly has recently called for immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, under a resolution endorsed with 153 votes. The resolution also pleads for the immediate and unconditional release of the Israeli hostages taken by Hamas following the brutal attack of October 7, in which some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, died, according to Tel-Aviv.



    Israels permanent representative to the UN, Gilad Erdan, made it quite clear that the Israeli military operations in Gaza would only stop after hostages have been freed and Hamas has been dismantled.



    On the day of the attack, around 240 people were kidnapped and taken to Gaza. Of these, some 135 are still in the hands of Hamas and affiliated groups, the Israeli army says, after 105 people were released during a 7-day ceasefire that ended on December 1.



    Romania joins the international community in supporting Israels efforts to get the Hamas hostages freed, PM Marcel Ciolacu said after a meeting in Bucharest on Thursday with the Israeli interior minister Moshe Arbel and the families of Romanian-born Israeli citizens held captive in Gaza.



    In the same context, the Romanian head of government reiterated that “de-escalation is a viable solution to restore security in the region.” Ciolacu once again highlighted that the Romanian government was firmly condemning the practice of hostage taking and terrorism in all its forms.



    Marcel Ciolacu also spoke about the death of Tal Haimi, a Romanian and Israeli citizen kidnapped by Hamas, and mentioned that he was just one of the victims of the “terrible attack launched by the terror group against the State of Israel.”



    In turn, the interior minister Cătălin Predoiu had a meeting with the Israeli delegation headed by his counterpart, Moshe Arbel. During the talks, the participants highlighted the need to carry on jointly the efforts to get all the remaining hostages freed and safe, regardless of the difficulty and the complexity of the process. Minister Predoiu also conveyed a message of solidarity to the families attending the meeting, and reiterated Romanias support for all the efforts that can be made to help release all the hostages.



    On the same occasion, the interior ministry said once again that Romania supported stepped-up efforts for a permanent ceasefire and for identifying diplomatic solutions for the Peace Process to be resumed. Bucharest also pleads for strict compliance with international law and international humanitarian law. (AMP)


  • Apel pentru eliberarea ostaticilor din Gaza

    Apel pentru eliberarea ostaticilor din Gaza

    Conflictul israeliano-palestinian preocupă profund comunitatea internațională, aflată în căutarea unor soluții care să liniștească apele.


    Recent, Adunarea Generală a ONU a cerut o încetare imediată a focului în Fâșia Gaza, printr-o rezoluţie adoptată cu 153 de voturi pentru. Rezoluţia solicită, de asemenea, eliberarea imediată şi necondiţionată a ostaticilor israelieni capturați de Hamas în urma atacului sângeros din 7 octombrie, care s-a soldat cu circa 1200 de morți, majoritatea civili, potrivit autorităților de la Tel-Aviv.


    Ambasadorul Israelului la ONU, Gilad Erdan, a fost foarte clar: operaţiunile militare israeliene în Gaza se vor opri doar după eliberarea necondiţionată a ostaticilor şi după eliminarea Hamas. În ziua masacrului, aproximativ 240 de persoane au fost răpite şi duse în Gaza. Dintre acestea circa 135, afirmă armata, rămân în mâinile Hamas şi grupurilor afiliate după eliberarea a 105 ostatici în timpul unui armistiţiu de şapte zile încheiat la 1 decembrie.


    România se alătură comunităţii internaţionale pentru a sprijini eforturile Israelului de a elibera ostaticii răpiţi de Hamas, a declarat prim-ministrul Marcel Ciolacu, după întâlnirea pe care a avut-o, joi, la București, cu ministrul de Interne de la Tel-Aviv, Moshe Arbel, şi membri ai familiilor unor cetăţeni israelieni de origine română care au fost captivi în Fâşia Gaza. În acelaşi context, şeful Executivului a reiterat că dezescaladarea este o soluţie viabilă pentru restabilirea securităţii în regiuneˮ. Acesta a subliniat, încă o dată, că Guvernul de la București condamnă cu fermitate terorismul, în toate formele sale de manifestare, precum şi luarea de ostatici.


    Marcel Ciolacu s-a referit şi la decesul lui Tal Haimi, cetăţean român şi israelian ţinut ostatic de Hamas, menţionând că acesta este doar una dintre victimele atacului îngrozitor declanşat de gruparea teroristă împotriva Statului Israelˮ.


    Şi ministrul român de Interne, Cătălin Predoiu, a avut o întrevedere cu o delegaţie condusă de omologul său israelain, Moshe Arbel. În cadrul întâlnirii, a fost evidenţiată necesitatea de a continua împreună eforturile pentru eliberarea rapidă şi în siguranţă a tuturor ostaticilor rămaşi, oricât de greu sau de complex ar fi acest process.


    Ministrul Predoiu, la rândul său, a transmis familiilor prezente un mesaj de solidaritate şi a reiterat sprijinul pentru întreprinderea tuturor eforturilor care pot fi făcute pentru a contribui la eliberarea tuturor ostaticilor. Cu acest prilej, ministerul de Interne a precizat, încă o dată, că România susţine intensificarea demersurilor pentru permanentizarea opririi focului şi pentru identificarea de soluţii diplomatice în vederea reluării Procesului de Pace. Bucureștiul pledează, de asemenea, pentru respectarea strictă a dreptului internaţional şi a dreptului internaţional umanitar.


  • December 14, 2023 UPDATE

    December 14, 2023 UPDATE

    Budget — After approval by the Romanian Government, Romania’s draft budget for 2024 will be sent to Parliament for debate. The calculations are based on an economic growth of 3.4%, a deficit target of 5% and an average annual inflation rate estimated at 6% of the GDP. The budget law includes the pension and salary increases already announced, and also most of the measures from the fiscal package assumed by the government. Among the ministries that will receive more money compared to the 2023 allocations are the education, development, environment and family ministries, while smaller budgets will go, among others, to the ministries of energy, of investments and European projects.



    Brussels – The leaders of the EU states, gathered in Brussels, decided on Thursday to open accession negotiations with Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova, after the European Commission had made a recommendation in this regard in November, AFP and Reuters report. The announcement was made by the president of the European Council, Charles Michel, who is presiding over the EU summit in Brussels. Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis congratulated Moldova and Ukraine for the start of EU accession negotiations and considers the decision of the European Council as ‘historic’. At the European Council, besides the issue of EU enlargement, they also address the review of the Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-2027, support for Ukraine, the situation in the Middle East and security and defense. Regarding the revision of the Multiannual Financial Framework, Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis will plead for an approach that promotes the financing balance between the commitments already assumed and the new priorities on the European agenda and that does not involve reductions of funds for the Cohesion Policy and the Common Agricultural Policy. As regards the situation in the Middle East, Iohannis will insist on the need for increased involvement of the EU in the region, in order to protect civilians, de-escalate the conflict and resume the peace process based on the solution of two states, Israeli and Palestinian. On Thursday, on the sidelines of the European Council, Klaus Iohannis met with the recently appointed Prime Minister of Poland, the liberal Donald Tusk, with whom he analyzed the priorities on the NATO agenda and the bilateral relationship.



    Recovery and Resilience – Romania will send the third payment request from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan to Brussels on Friday, December 15 — the Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said at the meeting of the Interministerial Committee for the Coordination of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan – PNRR. This has a total value of 2.7 billion euros, from which the pre-financing already received was deducted, and covers 74 targets and milestones corresponding to the 3rd and 4th quarters of 2022.



    Summit — The reconstruction of Ukraine and Romania’s strategic role in this process was the topic of an international conference, which took place on Wednesday and Thursday in Romania’s mountain resort of Sinaia. Attending the conferencce were officials from the country and abroad, independent experts, representatives of the business environment, academia and the diplomatic corps. The Romanian PM, Marcel Ciolacu, and the Ukrainian Prime Minister, Denîs Şmîhal, sent video messages to the participants, in which they talked about the Romanian-Ukrainian partnership and Romanias support for Ukraine.



    Drones — The Romanian diplomacy strongly protests against the incident caused by the uncontrolled crash of a drone used in the attack on the Ukrainian port infrastructure, on the night of Wednesday to Thursday, in an uninhabited area about four kilometers upstream from the town of Grindu, on the Danube. “This represents a new violation of Romanias airspace, contrary to international law,” the Romanian Foreign Ministry MAE states in a communiqué. MAE firmly requests Russia to stop the repeated attacks against the Ukrainian population and civil infrastructure, as well as the irresponsible escalation of the security situation, including at the border between Romania and Ukraine. Following the incident, MAE has summed the ambassador of the Russian Federation to Bucharest. The Romanians living in the area were warned by RO-ALERT messages about the possibility of objects falling from the airspace, they were advised not to panic and to take shelter, if the situation requires it. This year, the Romanian Defense Ministry identified remains from several drones used by Russia in attacks against the Danube ports in Ukraine, essential for the export of Ukrainian cereals.



    UN – The Romanian Foreign Ministry (MAE) welcomed the 68th anniversary of Romanias admission to the United Nations on December 14. All these years, Romania asserted itself as a supporter and defender of multilateral diplomacy, including through active involvement in the organizations three fundamental areas of activity: international peace and security, development and human rights. MAE emphasizes that Romania will continue to support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and the implementation of the Paris Agreement on climate change. At the same time, it will aim to strengthen the support dedicated to the most vulnerable partners, in order to respond to current challenges, as well as to develop sustainable economies and resilient, fair and inclusive societies.



    Hamas – Romania joins the international community to support Israels efforts to release the hostages kidnapped by Hamas, the PM Marcel Ciolacu said after meeting, on Thursday, in Bucharest, with Israels Interior Minister, Moshe Arbel, and with family members of Israeli citizens of Romanian origin who were held hostage in the Gaza Strip. In this context, the Romanian PM reiterated that “de-escalation is a viable solution for restoring security in the region”. Also on Thursday, the Romanian Foreign Ministry — MAE announced the death of a person with dual citizenship, Israeli and Romanian, held hostage in the Gaza Strip by the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas since October 7. The announcement comes after on December 2, MAE announced the death of another person with dual citizenship, Israeli and Romanian, captive in the Gaza Strip. Currently, two people with dual citizenship, Israeli and Romanian, are still held hostage by Hamas, and the Romanian diplomacy reiterates the need to release all the hostages. The Romanian Embassy in Tel Aviv maintains contact with the Israeli authorities – the MAE also states. (LS)