VISIT Romania’s Foreign Minister,
Luminita Odobescu, was received on Monday night by the President of the
Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu. The talks between the two officials have
focused on the Republic of Moldova’s European agenda and regional security.
According to sources with the Romanian Foreign Ministry, Minister Odobescu has
pointed out that the unprecedented openness in the bilateral area in recent
years has allowed for the rapid progress of all cooperation initiatives, mainly
of those with direct relevance in the area of strengthening stability and
support for the republic’s development. Minister Odobescu has given assurances
on Romania’s staunch commitment to promoting in a rapid manner the assistance
projects for Chisinau, in terms of its comprehensive connection to the European
area through Romania. The head of the Romanian diplomacy has hailed the
significant headway made by the authorities in Chisinau in the reforms area,
focusing on meeting the recommendations made by the European Commission in June
last year, when the country was granted the statute of EU accession candidate.
RULE The Constitutional Court of
the ex-soviet, Romanian-speaking Republic of Moldova has ruled as
unconstitutional the SOR party founded and led by oligarch Ilan Sor. The party
has been accused of actions that run against the rule of law, jeopardizing the
sovereignty and independence of the Republic of Moldova, being funded from
abroad and backed by the Russian secret services. The party leader fled to
Israel after having received a prison sentence for his involvement in the theft
of one billion Euros from the Republic’s banking system. From there he
initiated jointly with the party’s vice-president Marina Tauber a series of
anti-government protests. We’ll have more on this after the news.
MESSAGE The Romanians have shown unprecedented
solidarity, offering a space of safety and calm to the Ukrainian refugees,
Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said in his address on the World Refugee Day. In
March 2022, we got the clear picture of terror, on the cratered streets and
destroyed buildings in the cities of Bucha and Irpin. We understood the horror
lived by the desperate families forced to flee the war. Over 4.6 million Ukrainians,
mostly women and children, have chosen our country as their refuge, Ciolacu
wrote on Facebook. According to him, since the beginning of the war in Ukraine,
the Romanians have proven their support and generosity in the face of terror’.
FOOTBALL Romania’s national
football side ended in a two-all draw their away game against Switzerland in
Group 1 of the Euro 2024 qualifiers. The visitors dominated the game and even
got the upper hand two-nil, but our footballers managed an unexpected comeback
and levelled the scoring towards the end of the game. In the other Group 1
matches, Belarus secured a 2-1 win against Kosovo and Israel also obtained a
2-1 victory against Andorra. Switzerland tops the table in Group 1 and is
followed by Romania, the first two positions, which ensure qualification for
the final tournament in Germany.
MEETING During the International Paris Air Show Le Bourget earlier this week,
Romanian Defence Minister Angel Tîlvăr had a meeting with General James B.
Hecker, commander of the Allied Air Command in Europe. The Romania-USA
Strategic Partnership is one of the main pillars of the national policy of
security and defence together with NATO and EU membership’, Minister Tîlvăr recalled.
Among other things, the Romanian minister voiced his appreciation for the US
contribution to ensuring defence and deterrence on the Allied eastern flank
mainly through the deployment of troops and capabilities to Romania as well as
for the support offered to Romania so that the country can purchase F-16
fighters from the Norwegian army. Also in Paris, the Romanian Defence Minister
participated in a Conference entitled European Air and Missile Defence and held
talks with Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant.
(bill)