Radio România Internațional

Tag: Iran

  • October 27, 2024 UPDATE

    October 27, 2024 UPDATE

    Debt – Romania’s government debt rose, in July, to 876.288 billion lei, from 860.331 billion lei in the previous month, according to data published by the Finance Ministry. As a percentage of the GDP, the government debt rose to 52% from 51.1% in June. Most of this debt was represented by government bonds. The Romanian government approved, on Wednesday, an emergency ordinance which establishes the increase in the public debt ceiling, according to the European Union’s methodology, to the level of 53% of the gross domestic product for the end of 2024. According to the government, this change aims to ensure flexibility in attracting the financial resources necessary to implement the financing plan of 2024, to pre-finance the needs in the year 2025, as well as to maintain the foreign currency reserve at the disposal of the State Treasury at a comfortable level.

     

    Moldova – The pro-European President of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu, accused, on Sunday, during an electoral debate, her opponent in the second round of the presidential election, the pro-Russian Alexandr Stoianoglo, of being just a ‘Trojan horse’, a man through whom others want to rule the country’. In reply, Stoianoglo, who is supported by the Socialist Party from the Republic of Moldova, said that he is a ‘firm supporter of the country’s European integration’ and that he wants ‘the transformation of Moldova into an active provider of peace and security in the region’. The electoral debate took place without a moderator, because the journalist proposed to be moderator by the Stoianoglo camp was accused of not being honest and impartial. In the first round of the presidential election, the incumbent president obtained 43% of the votes, while Stoianoglo took 26%. The second round of the presidential election will take place on November 3. A week ago, together with the first round of the presidential election, there was also a referendum for EU integration, which was validated and in which the pro-accession voters were 12 thousand more. Maia Sandu pointed an accusatory finger to the meddling in the electoral process of some criminal groups that would have acted alongside foreign forces hostile to the interests of the country. Moscow denied any interference in the elections and referendum.

     

    Georgia – Georgia’s ruling party, Georgian Dream, won the parliamentary elections against a pro-European opposition coalition that refused to concede defeat, the Central Electoral Committee announced on Sunday morning, according to AFP and Dpa. The Georgian Dream, a conservative and nationalist party led by billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, allegedly obtained 54% of the votes, compared to 37.58% for the pro-European coalition, according to the counting carried out in over 99% of the constituencies.  The pro-European opposition coalition did not recognize the preliminary results and announced the organization of protests. The opposition accuses the Georgian Dream, in power since 2012, of pro-Russian authoritarian drift and Georgia’s distancing from the EU and NATO, which it intends to join. Brussels has warned that Georgia’s chances of joining the EU will depend on the elections held in the former Soviet republic in the Caucasus, which has enshrined this aspiration in its constitution. Georgia was rocked, in May, by protests against a law on ‘foreign influence’, after the model of the Russian legislation on ‘foreign agents’ used to crush civil society, AFP reports.

     

    Winter time – Romania switched to winter time on Saturday night to Sunday. The clocks were set back by one hour, so that Sunday will have 25 hours and will be the longest of the year. Changing the time twice a year is based on the idea of ​​saving energy, by aligning the interval of human activity with that of natural light. Although this is the most important argument for changing the time, there are studies that suggest that the energy savings are minor, and citizens are more and more complaining about negative health effects. The EC and EP tried to abandon this system as early as 2021, but the member countries did not agree on which of the systems should be kept.

     

    Iran – The UN Security Council will meet on Monday to discuss Israel’s attack on Iran. The meeting was requested by Tehran with the support of Algeria, China and Russia. The Israeli regime’s actions represent a serious threat to international peace and security and further destabilize an already fragile region, the Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a letter to the Council. Dozens of Israeli jets carried out three waves of strikes on the night of Friday to Saturday against missile factories and other military centers near Tehran and in western Iran, the Israeli army representatives said. They were in retaliation for Iran’s October 1 attack on Israel with about 200 ballistic missiles, and Israel warned its heavily armed enemy not to retaliate after the latest strike. On Sunday, Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, rejected Iran’s complaint saying in a statement that Iran ‘is trying to act against us in the diplomatic arena with the ridiculous claim that Israel has violated international law’. (LS)

  • October 26, 2024 UPDATE

    October 26, 2024 UPDATE

     

    NATURAL GAS Romania has become the EU’s largest natural gas producer, with an output of 2.3 billion cubic metres in Q2, the energy minister Sebastian Burduja announced. According to him, Romania has outperformed the Netherlands, which reported 2.2 billion cubic metres, and compared to last year Romania’s natural gas output was 1% higher. The energy minister also mentioned that during the same period Romanians benefited from the fourth-lowest gas price in Europe, according to Eurostat. As of 2027, Burduja added, Romania will practically double its gas output thanks to the deep-water natural gas drilled in the Black Sea. “We will see even better gas prices, we will attract even more investments in our economy and will help the entire region reduce its dependence on Russian gas,” he said.

     

     

    MIDDLE EAST The European Union Saturday called on all parties to exercise utmost restraint to avoid an uncontrollable escalation in the Middle East, after Israel’s retaliatory attack against Iran, AFP reports. “The dangerous cycle of attacks and retaliations risks causing a further expansion of the regional conflict,” the EU warned. Gulf countries have condemned the recent Israeli strikes on Iranian military targets, and warned against possible ripple effects in the region. In turn, Washington called on Iran not to retaliate. Should Tehran choose to strike back, we will be prepared and there will be consequences, the US Administration said. Israel announced that its operations in Iran were over, after 3 rounds of attacks on military targets, particularly the defence system and arms production facilities. Iran says the strike was countered and that damages were limited. The international community had been anticipating this operation for about a month, as a response to Iran’s missile attack on October 1.

     

     

    WINTER TIME Sunday is the longest day of the year in Romania, after switching to winter time on Saturday night, with clocks set one hour behind. The switch is aimed to save energy by aligning work hours with natural light hours. A public poll conducted by the European Commission a few years ago indicates that most Europeans are against the change. The EC considered eliminating the shift, but member states failed to agree on which of the times should be kept. A number of states have given up switches between winter and summer time, such as Mexico in 2022 and Turkey in 2016. Ukraine also decided that as of 2025 it will no longer switch to Daylight Saving Time.

     

     

    AWARD The Romanian writer Ana Blandiana received the 2024 Princess of Asturias Award for Literature, in a ceremony hosted by Spain’s Royal Family at the Teatro Campoamor in Oviedo, the Romanian Cultural Institute announced on Saturday. The jury presented the award to Ana Blandiana, whose work reflects profound knowledge of the Romanian spirit during a historic period of oppression, while establishing hope and defeat as the guidelines of her literary undertaking. Ana Blandiana, the first Romanian writer to receive the award, said this was a confirmation of how her books were received in Spain and the result of the many reviews they had received, because in Spain more than in other countries, poetry is in the spotlight. Ana Blandiana, also a Doctor Honoris Causa of the University of Salamanca, saw as many as 11 of her books translated into Spanish. She has so far authored more than 30 works, translated into 25 languages, and has received many international awards.

     

     

    TENNIS The Romanian tennis player Simona Halep takes on seed no. 6 Yue Yuan (China), in the first round of the WTA 250 tournament in Hong Kong. Apart from Halep, a former world leader and a wildcard in the Hong Kong tournament, Romania is also represented in the competition by Ana Bogdan, set to face Australia’s Kimberly Birrell in the first round. (AMP)

  • October 26, 2024

    October 26, 2024

     

    FEAST Orthodox and Greek-Catholic Christians today celebrate the Holy Great-Martyr Demetrius the Myroblyte, a Greek Christian martyr of the early 4th century AD. He was the proconsul of Thessalonica and as such he opposed the pagan celebrations occasioned by Roman military victories, subsequently arrested and forced to renounce his Christian beliefs, seen as dangerous for the unity of the Roman Empire. When he refused, he was run through with spears. His relics are kept today in a church in Thessaloniki.  Nearly 259,000 Romanians celebrate their name day today, according to the interior ministry. In Bucharest, a pilgrimage is taking place to the relics of St. Dimitrie Basarabov, the patron saint of Bucharest, and to the relics of St. Lazarus, brought over from Cyprus.

     

     

    SCHENGEN The Romanian interior minister, Cătălin Predoiu, had talks with his French counterpart Bruno Retailleau, on finalising the Schengen accession file and on topics of interest on the European and bilateral agenda, such as fighting illegal migration and drug trafficking. According to the Romanian interior ministry, the meeting is part of a series of talks with the EU countries with which Romania has strategic partnerships or privileged cooperation agreements, aimed at communicating the outcomes of the measures taken by Bucharest to manage migration and ensure border security in the context of the country’s efforts to fully join the border-free Schengen area. Cătălin Predoiu highlighted the measures taken at both national level and jointly with its immediate neighbours and other EU member states, which resulted in a decrease of migratory pressures on Romania’s borders to nearly zero. Romania’s cooperation with European agencies also played a major role in achieving these outstanding results. Romania aims to complete the case by the end of this year, and is relying on the support of all its allies to meet this important national goal. The French official acknowledged the progress made by Romania and reiterated France’s support for this goal to be reached as soon as possible.

     

     

    MIDDLE EAST Washington called on Iran not to retaliate following last night’s Israeli air raids. Should Tehran choose to strike back, we will be prepared and there will be consequences, the US Administration warned. Meanwhile, Israel announced that its operations in Iran were over, after 3 rounds of attacks on military targets, particularly the defence system and arms production facilities. On the other hand, Iran says the strike was countered and that damages were limited. The international community had been anticipating this operation for about a month, as a response to Iran’s missile attack on October 1. The Pentagon said it had been informed of the strike, but denied any American military involvement. The US had urged Israel not to target nuclear sites or oil fields, a request that was observed by Israel. On its part, Iraq reopened its air space after a 4-hour suspension due to security concerns.

     

     

    WINTER TIME Romania switches to winter time tonight, with clocks set one hour behind so that 4 am becomes 3 am, as a form of daylight saving time. A public poll conducted by the European Commission a few years ago indicates that most Europeans are against the change. In Germany, a teachers’ association said the move has a negative impact on the human body and causes stress, especially in families with school kids. The EC considered eliminating the shift, but member states failed to agree on which of the times should be kept. A number of states have given up switches between winter and summer time, such as Mexico in 2022 and Turkey in 2016. Ukraine also decided that as of 2025 it will no longer switch to Daylight Saving Time. (AMP)

  • August 1, 2024 UPDATE

    August 1, 2024 UPDATE

     

    Loan. Romania signed a financing agreement with the World Bank worth 600 million euros for development policies regarding fiscal management and green growth. The loan was conditioned on the implementation of some structural reforms, the actions related to the agreement being completed prior to the negotiation, the Finance Ministry announced on Thursday. According to a press release, it is about important structural reforms to strengthen fiscal management and improve resilience in the face of climate change. The financial support from the World Bank has a maturity of 15 years, with repayment in a single installment, on July 15, 2039. In the 32 years of partnership between Romania and the World Bank, the institution granted Bucharest 13 loans, worth 1.7 billion euros.

     

    Warning. The Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs warns that, in the context of recent security developments and the increased risk of escalation, a travel warning is in force for the State of Israel, level 8/9 – AVOID ANY TRAVEL. The ministry strongly recommends rescheduling for a later date, depending on the evolution of the security situation, all trips for tourist or pilgrimage purposes. The security situation is volatile, significant damage can occur suddenly, without prior warning, with the consequence of closing the land and air borders of the State of Israel – warns the MFA. A similar warning, level 8/9 – AVOID ANY TRAVEL, is also in place for the entire territory of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The MFA points out that, against the background of the recent developments in the security situation in the Gulf area, several air transport companies have taken the decision to introduce a detour route for flights transiting the Gulf, the Gulf of Oman or the Strait of Hormuz, given the real risk to passengers and crews’ safety.


    Commissioner.     The Social-Democratic Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu stated that his colleague, MEP Victor Negrescu, is one of the options regarding the proposal that Romania is to make for the position of European Commissioner in the future European Commission. He specified that the Social-Democratic MEP Mihai Tudose refused a possible nomination for this position. August 30 is the deadline by which each member state of the European Union must propose two candidates for the post of European Commissioner in the future Community Executive. Re-confirmed for the second term as president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen emphasized, in a letter, that she wants each country to propose a man and a woman. In the former community executive, Romania was represented by the liberal Alina Vălean, who held the Transport portfolio.


    Support.     Romania is among the nine member states to receive technical support for the preparation of their national plans for the implementation of the Pact on migration and asylum, the European Commission Representation in Romania announced. According to a press release, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Germany, Estonia, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Romania have submitted requests for support and will receive specific advice from experts for four months. This support will help Member States prepare their national implementation plans, which must be submitted by early December.

     

    Funeral. Thousands of people participated, on Thursday, in the state-organized funeral, in the capital of Iran, of the assassinated leader of the Palestinian movement Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, a ceremony marked by calls to avenge his death, France Presse reports. He is to be buried in Qatar on Friday. The Iranian government has declared three days of national mourning after the political leader of Hamas was assassinated in Tehran in an airstrike. Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated shortly after the military commander of the Lebanese Shiite Hezbollah, another close ally of Iran, was killed in an Israeli strike in Beirut, Lebanon. The two attacks generated fears that the war in the East could expand. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, quoted by the Radio Romania correspondent in Israel, admitted that difficult days will follow, but emphasized that the Israeli army is prepared for any scenario.

     

    Government. The Bucharest Government on Thursday approved an ordinance meant to regulate some measures for the management of European funds allocated to Romania through the Recovery and Resilience Mechanism. The document also includes provisions necessary for the fulfillment of milestones and targets within the NRRP. According to a press release by the executive, the government also adopted a draft law for the ratification of the agreement with the International Committee of the Red Cross regarding its privileges and immunities in Romania. The ratification of this international agreement, signed in Bucharest on March 19, 2024, corresponds to the political commitment of the Romanian Government to support the efforts of the international community to respond to the urgent protection and assistance needs of people affected by the conflict in Ukraine.

     

    Olympic Games. Romanian rowers Andrei Cornea and Marian Enache won the gold medals in the men’s double sculls on Thursday at the Olympic Games in Paris. Ancuța Bodnar and Simona Radiș, Olympic champions in Tokyo, won the silver medal in the women’s double sculls event. The women’s four-man crew came out fourth, and the men’s four-man crew came out fifth. Romanian swimmer David Popovici won the bronze medal in the 100-meter freestyle, on Wednesday evening, in a final in which the Chinese Zhanle Pan won the gold with a new world record. According to the specialized press, the final was a formidable one, the fastest in history. On Monday, Popovici (19 years old) won gold in the 200 meters freestyle. On Fiday, On Romanian athletes compete in athletics, rowing and yachting at the Olympic Games in Paris. (EE)

  • July 28, 2024 UPDATE

    July 28, 2024 UPDATE

     

    CHECKS – Romanian border police officers have carried out, since the operationalization of the eDAC application until now, more than 557,000 checks to establish the legal status of persons and to prevent and combat possible illegal acts, the app being used including by the mobile teams in the field. The most recent case was reported two days ago, when, following checks conducted in the departure area of the Henri Coandă International Airport found a man who could not present his documents, declining his identity verbally and presenting a photo from his mobile phone, of a Pakistani passport. Following the checks carried out, it was established that the man was in Romania illegally.

     

    CHILDREN – The total number of children in Romania who had both parents working abroad was, at the end of March 2024, 9,039, some 719 less compared to the the previous year, according to data supplied by the National Authority for the Protection of Children’s Rights and Adoption (ANPDCA). Also, the number of children with parents working abroad dropped to 61,007 at the end of March, from 64,936 on December 31, 2023.

     

    FUEL – The average price of a liter of gasoline in Romania increased by 5.1% compared to last month, and the average price of a liter of diesel increased by 4.7%. In Bucharest, a liter of standard gasoline is sold at prices between 7.35 lei and 7.49 lei, and a liter of standard diesel is between 7.44 lei and 7.57 lei (1 euro is the equivalent of around 5 lei). Romania is currently in third place in the European Union among the countries with the cheapest gasoline, after Bulgaria and Malta, and in fourth place in terms of the lowest diesel price, after Bulgaria, Lithuania and Malta.

     

    RACE – Romanian pilot Simone Tempestini is in second place, out of over 100 crews, in the Rally di Roma Capitale, the fifth stage of the European Rally Championship (FIA ERC). Romania’s national rally champion eight times, Tempestini won stages 5 and 6, the latter being the longest of Saturday. Born in Italy to Italian parents, Tempestini has been living in Romania since he was 14 and became a Romanian citizen in 2016, the year he was also world junior champion. (EE)

     

  • May 21, 2024

    May 21, 2024

    goVisit – The Romanian Prime Minister, Marcel Ciolacu, is paying an official visit to Ankara today, at the invitation of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The PM is accompanied by a delegation of ministers, in the context of which they will sign a series of agreements in the field of tourism, SMEs and urban planning. A joint meeting of the governments of the two states will also take place. Marcel Ciolacu and Recep Tayyip Erdogan will sign the joint declaration regarding the setting up of the high-level Strategic Cooperation Council between the two countries. According to a press release of the Romanian government, the prime minister’s intention is to increase bilateral trade exchanges to 15 billion dollars through future projects in energy, transport, agriculture, agri-food industry and defense. Last year, bilateral trade amounted to over 10 billion dollars, and Turkey is Romania’s main economic partner outside the European Union. In the context of the visit, the Turkish authorities have today published in the Official Gazette a decree under which the Romanian citizens can enter Turkey for transit or for tourism purposes only with the ID. They can stay in Turkey for 90 days at the most.

     

     

    Iran – Iran will hold elections on June 28, after the death of President Ebrahim Raisi. Today, the funeral ceremonies for the former president have begun near the place where he died on Sunday, following the crash of the helicopter he was in. Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, declared five days of national mourning on Monday after the death of President Ebrahim Raisi and appointed the First Vice President Mohammed Mokhbe as interim president.

     

    Royalty – Her Majesty Margareta, the Custodian of the Romanian Crown, and His Royal Highness Prince Radu are paying a visit to Luxembourg these days, in order to emphasize “Romania’s role in the European Union and NATO and to support the European aspirations of the Republic of Moldova”. In the presence of His Royal Highness Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, Her Majesty Margareta is giving a speech today at the Pierre Werner Institute on the security of the eastern borders of the EU and NATO. In the following days, the Custodian of the Crown and the Prince Consort will visit the University of Luxembourg and meet with students and staff from Romania. A visit is also scheduled to the Notre-Dame Saint-Sophie School, as well as to the NATO Support and Procurement Agency, where they will meet the Romanians who work there. The program also includes a meeting with the members of the Romanian community in Luxembourg, as well as the inauguration of the photography exhibition “Contribution of the Royal Family to the consolidation of Romania’s role in NATO and the EU 2002-2023”.

     

    Tennis – The Romanian tennis player Ana Bogdan was voted the winner of the Heart Award, for her contribution in the Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers, according to the competition’s Instagram page. Ana Bogdan won two of the three matches played in April in the meeting with Ukraine, as the Romanian team came back from 0-2 to 3-2. Thus, Romania qualified for the first time to the final tournament of the competition. The Romanian team will face Japan in the round of 16 of the Billie Jean King Cup, and if they win, they will play in the quarterfinals with Italy. The final tournament will take place between November 12-20, in Seville. On the other hand, in Strasbourg, the pair made up of the Romanian player Monica Niculescu and the Spanish Cristina Bucşa qualified, on Monday, to the quarterfinals of the doubles event of the WTA 500 tournament, after defeating the Czech-Slovak pair Marie Bouzkova/Tereza Mihalikova, 6-1, 6-3. In the quarterfinals, Niculescu and Bucşa will play against the Americans Ashlyn Kruger/Sloane Stephens.

     

    Law – Penalties for trafficking in persons and minors, slavery or child pornography will no longer be suspended, according to a draft law that will receive the final vote in the Bucharest Chamber of Deputies. According to the new regulations, an increase in the penalties for these crimes will be applied. Thus, for slavery, child pornography and human trafficking, the prison sentence can reach up to 12 years, and if minors are involved, the sentence will be up to 20 years. We come back to that after the news.

     

    Moldova – The Republic of Moldova signs, today, a security and defense pact with the European Union. Cooperation in this field is intensifying against the background of the war in Ukraine and in the context in which Chişinău accused Russia of waging a hybrid war against it. The security pact will be signed within the Association Council between the two parties and takes place on the sidelines of the General Affairs Council in Brussels. The collaboration thus extends on several security levels, from the military or cyber security to the fight against manipulation and disinformation, from border management to the fight against corruption. According to the Financial Times publication, the partnership with Brussels in the field of security and defense will allow the Republic of Moldova to exchange information and carry out joint military exercises, as well as to be included in the common arms procurement system of the EU. (LS)

  • May 20, 2024 UPDATE

    May 20, 2024 UPDATE

     

    VISIT The Romanian Prime Minister, Marcel Ciolacu, pays an official visit to Turkey, Romania’s most important trade partner outside the European Union, on Tuesday. The visit takes place at the invitation of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The agenda includes a joint meeting of the governments of the two countries. The parties aim for bilateral trade to exceed 15 billion dollars. A joint declaration will also be signed, concerning the establishment of a Romania-Turkey high-level strategic cooperation council, the equivalent of joint government meetings. The council will be coordinated by the prime minister of Romania and the president of Turkey, and will act as a catalyst to strengthen cooperation in strategic areas. The two countries are also set to establish a bilateral dialogue mechanism between the two foreign ministries. A number of cooperation agreements will be signed on the same occasion, in sectors such as social security, SMEs, tourism, diplomatic missions and town planning.

     

    MONITORING Starting October 1, the Romanian Ministry of the Interior will expand, on a national level, a project on the electronic monitoring of restraining orders against aggressors. The system is currently applied in the capital city Bucharest and in several other counties, and covers only domestic violence cases for which a restraining order has been issued. In another move, an international meeting is taking place in Bucharest, which focuses on domestic violence. Official data show that in Romania, in the first 3 months of this year, around 3,000 provisional protection orders were issued, almost half of which were upheld in court. In the same period, the police intervened in almost 30,000 cases of domestic violence. The number of domestic violence offences has increased, compared to the first 3 months of last year.

     

    MINERS’ RIOTS The former leader of the Valea Jiului coal miners, Miron Cozma, was heard at the General Prosecutor’s Office on Monday, in the case concerning the June 1990 miners’ riots. A number of Romanian officials, including the ex-president Ion Iliescu, the then-PM Petre Roman, deputy PM Gelu Voican Voiculescu and the former chief of the Romanian Intelligence Service Virgil Măgureanu are charged with crimes against humanity in this case. Military prosecutors say that on June 11 and 12, 1990, the authorities initiated a violent crackdown on the protesters in Bucharest’s University Square, who were peacefully expressing their opposition to the government at the time. Over 10,000 coal miners were brought to Bucharest to restore order. Four people were shot dead, nearly 1,400 were wounded and some 1,250 others were detained.

     

    SHIP The sinking of a ship sailing under the Tanzanian flag in the Black Sea off the Romanian coast this weekend occurred following a collision with another vessel, flying the Comoros flag, the Romanian authorities announced on Monday. After the collision, the second vessel participated in rescue operations, and subsequently left for the Bulgarian port of Varna. Romanian prosecutors ordered a criminal investigation into suspected offences including the destruction or damaging of a sea vessel and leaving the scene of an accident. The sunken ship had a crew of 11 people, 8 of whom were rescued. The other 3 are still missing.

     

    IRAN Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has declared five days of national mourning after president Ebrahim Raisi died in a helicopter crash, and appointed the vice-president Mohammed Mokhber as interim president, the official Iranian news agency IRNA reports. When a president dies in office, the Constitution of the Islamic Republic requires the senior vice-president to serve as interim president for a period of 50 days, with the approval of the supreme leader, who has the final say in all matters of state in Iran. The announcement of the president’s death opens a period of political uncertainty in Iran, a major player in the Middle East, a region rocked by the war in Gaza Strip between Israel and Hamas, press agencies note. Ebrahim Raisi had been the president of the Islamic Republic of Iran for almost three years. A hard-line cleric, he was elected in June 2021 in the first round of a vote marked by record-high absenteeism in the presidential elections and the absence of strong competitors. (AMP)

  • April 19, 2024

    April 19, 2024

    VISIT Over April 22 and 24, Romanian president Klaus Iohannis will be paying a formal visit to the Republic of Korea, upon the invitation of his counterpart Yoon Suk Yeol. The Republic of Korea is the first country in the Asia-Pacific area with which Romania raised its relations at the level of strategic partnership in 2008. On the occasion of Iohannis’ upcoming visit to Seoul, this partnership will be consolidated through a document, which sets the cooperation directions for the next 10 years. Relevant documents are expected to be signed in the field of defence, nuclear energy, investment and foreign trade, cooperation in emergency situations and disaster management, cooperation in the field of culture, mass-media, youth and sports. In the Republic of Korea, the Romanian president will be meeting representatives of the Romanian community and business environment and will be visiting an exhibition of Romanian traditional art.

      

    SPORTS Lots drawn on Thursday night in Vienna have distributed Romania to Group B, together with the sides of Montenegro, the Czech Republic and Serbia at the European Women’s Handball Championship – EHF EURO 2024. The competition’s 16th edition will be hosted by Austria, Hungary and Switzerland over November 28 and December 15. Romania has participated in the aforementioned competition 14 times and obtained only one medal, bronze in 2010. In another development, Romania’s delegation at the upcoming Summer Olympics in Paris has been credited with winning 10 medals, two gold, three silver and five bronze, according to a virtual ranking drawn up by Nielsen Gracenote research company, quoted by Reuters. Romania comes 25th in the aforementioned ranking in terms of the total number of medals. 80 Romanian athletes have so far qualified for the Olympic Games in Paris.

     

    ATTACK The US embassy in Israel has today called on its employees and their families to limit movement around the country a couple of hours after the explosions attributed to Israel in Iran. The explosions were heard near the city of Isfahan, where military bases and elements of the Iranian nuclear programme are located. Explosions have also been reported in Syria and Iraq, countries where pro-Iranian Shia militias are being located. Iran has denied the attack whereas Israel has neither confirmed nor denied it. Earlier Israel had threatened with responses after the Iranian drone attack on April 13 launched in retaliation for the killing of several Iranian officers in an alleged Israeli bombing in Damascus. Allies have called on Israel not to respond, whereas Tehran threatened with more retaliation in case of an Israeli response. The two states have for years been involved in an indirect conflict. Israel has been behind a series of sabotages in Iran as well as the assassination of several scientists and officers involved in the country’s nuclear programme. Israel has also bombed several Iranian objectives in Syria. In turn Iran is supporting anti-Israeli militias such as Hezbollah and Palestinian groups Hamas and the Islamic Jihad.

     

    TOUR The Middle East tour of the Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu ends today in Abu Dhabi where he is expected to have talks with representatives of Dubai Port World. The talks he had on Thursday with officials from the United Arab Emirates focused on attracting investment in Romania’s transport, energy and agriculture infrastructure. The Romanian delegation is next visiting the Sheik Zayed Bin mosque, the largest in the Emirates. Prime Minister Ciolacu’s four days of talks in Qatar and the UAE focused on ensuring security in Eastern Europe and the Middle East. The head of the Romanian Executive said that Romania remains committed together with the European Union, the United States and regional partners to contributing to the efforts aimed at deescalating the situation in the Middle East.

     

    (bill)

     

  • Romanian reactions to the attack against Israel

    Romanian reactions to the attack against Israel

    Iran’s attack against Israel on Saturday night, when it fired hundreds of drones, 99% of which were intercepted and which caused no significant damages, crossed however a line – Iran had never before, in the decades of antagonism between the two states, launched an attack inside Israel.

     

    The response had been expected for a number of days, after seven Iranian elite military were killed in Syria on 1st April in a strike against the Iranian consulate in Damascus attributed to Israel. It is not clear why Israel might have carried out the strike in Syria, commentators say, but Iran was forced to respond to save face internationally and demonstrate its power in the region. The tactic chosen by Tehran, and which is similar to that used by Russia in Ukraine, was to try to overwhelm the Israeli defence system by firing a large number of projectiles. Except the Israeli defence system is much more effective and was also aided by allied American and British fighter jets.

     

    Tehran says the matter is now concluded. What will happen next depends on whether Israel itself chooses to retaliate or not. In a first reaction, the country’s war cabinet, which met during the night at an underground bunker at the headquarters in Tel Aviv, empowered prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, defence minister Yoav Galant and minister Benny Gantz to prepare the reaction to Iran’s attack.

     

    “Neither the region, nor the world can afford more war”, said UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Sunday, calling for “maximum restraint” at a Security Council meeting that assembled after the attack. Leaders from around the world condemned Iran’s unprecedented attack on Israel. US president Joe Biden reiterated his country’s unflinching support for Israel and Russia called on both sides to show restraint. With the stated aim to contribute to defusing the situation and consolidate security in the region, the EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell called an extraordinary meeting of EU foreign ministers, to take place on Tuesday and discuss the attack.

     

    In Bucharest, president Klaus Iohannis posted that Romania condemned Iran’s attack against Israel in the strongest terms. “We stand in full solidarity with the Israeli people in these difficult moments. We call for avoiding further regional escalation”, he said, a sentiment shared by prime minister Marcel Ciolacu, who also emphasised Romania’s solidarity with Israel: “We firmly condemn this attack and support Israel’s right to ensure the security of its citizens”. Last but not least, the head of the Romanian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Daniel, on Sunday conveyed a message to the Patriarch of Jerusalem voicing his concern about the escalation of the military conflict.

     

  • April 15, 2024

    April 15, 2024

    Attack – “Neither the region nor the world can afford more war,” António Guterres told the body’s Security Council as it met to discuss Saturday’s Iranian attack. “The Middle East is on the brink,” he warned. “The people of the region are confronting a real danger of a devastating full-scale conflict. Now is the time to defuse and de-escalate” insisted Antonio Guterres. The Iranian attack, called “Operation Honest Promise”, was a response to the strike that destroyed the Iranian consulate in Damascus on April 1, an attack in which seven members of the Revolutionary Guards, the ideological army of the Islamic Republic, lost their lives. Iran has put the blame on Israel, which has neither confirmed nor denied. Since the Iranian revolution of 1979, Israel has been the avowed enemy of the Islamic Republic. So far, Tehran has not attacked Israel head-on, and the two countries have usually clashed through third parties, such as the Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah.

     

    Visit – The Romanian Prime Minister, Marcel Ciolacu, is paying an official visit to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates this week. The main topics of discussion concern the fields of energy, port infrastructure, agriculture and IT. Investment opportunities in Romania, in the field of renewable energy, both offshore and on-shore, will also be addressed. The parties also intend to develop the public-private partnership to support large-scale projects, both in the highway and railway infrastructure. One such project, said Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, is Moldavia’s Highway. Topics of regional and international interest will also be discussed.

     

    Energy – The Romanian Energy Ministry is organizing, on Monday, in collaboration with several entities, an event dedicated to the first cyber security exercise organized in Romania. According to the institution, the purpose of the exercise is to establish the level of preparation of the energy companies in order to face potential cyber attacks. Based on the exercise, a risk assessment will be made, and according to the results, procurement plans for goods and services in cyber security will be established, said the quoted source.

     

    Strike – The Romanian employees of the National Trade Register Office, on Thursday, will go on a Japanese-style strike, at the national level, according to a press release sent to AGERPRES news agency on Monday. They request the Government to take urgent steps to increase salaries by 15%, given that the Office is the public institution with the lowest salary level in the judiciary field. At the same time, the trade unionists demand the granting of increased benefits for risk and neuropsychological overload, a right that is granted to all other categories of employees from the ‘Justice’ occupational family. The trade unionists announced, for the period April 23-25, rallies at the national level in all counties, and on April 26 a rally at the headquarters of the Justice Ministry. In August, the collective labor conflict will be started, the trade unionists also announced.

     

    Price – In Romania, the average price of one liter of gasoline increased, compared to last month, by 3.2%, while one liter of diesel oil increased by one percent. With an average price of one liter of gasoline of 1.47 Euros and of diesel oil of 1.51 Euros, Romania ranks 3rd in the European Union, in the top of the countries with the cheapest fuel, after Bulgaria and Malta. The price of oil could increase, today, after Iran’s attack on Israel, according to some analysts, quoted by the Reuters news agency. Everything depends on how Israel and the West choose to fight back.

     

    Art – The Romanian Culture Minister, Raluca Turcan, is starting today a five-day visit to Italy, in the context of Romania’s participation in the 60th edition of the Venice Art Biennale. Raluca Turcan will participate in the opening of the exhibition “What Work Is” by Şerban Savu, presented at the Romanian Pavilion at this year’s edition of the Biennale, as well as at the New Gallery of the Romanian Institute of Culture and Humanistic Research in Venice. According to a Ministry of Culture press release, Romania’s participation in the Venice Biennale is a constantly renewed declaration of membership to European and world culture. The Culture Ministry traditionally supports the Romanian presence at the Venice Biennale, one of the most prestigious cultural events in the world. (LS)

  • February 3, 2024 UPDATE

    February 3, 2024 UPDATE

    AGREEMENT The PM
    of Romania Marcel Ciolacu and the representatives of farmers and carriers
    Friday reached an agreement ending the recent protests. On Monday, the PM’s
    office will set up an inter-ministry committee tasked with identifying the best
    solutions for the protesters’ demands. Farmers and carriers in Romania
    protested for 3 weeks against high business costs, low prices for produce, the
    import of cheap foodstuffs from Ukraine and the constraints introduced by the
    EU as part of its climate change action.


    COMMEMORATION A
    ceremony commemorating the prominent politician Iuliu Maniu, a former prime
    minister of Romania and leader of the National Christian-Democratic Party, was
    held on Saturday at the Memorial for the victims of communism in Sighetu
    Marmaţiei (north-west). Maniu died on the night of February 4 1953, in the political
    prison in Sighet, where he was serving a life sentence for high treason
    pronounced by the communist regime. His name was cleared under a Supreme Court
    ruling in 1998, and a monument was erected in his honour in the Revolution
    Square in Bucharest.


    MOLDOVA Chişinău
    extended an entry ban against the leader of the Romanian nationalist party AUR,
    George Simion, by another 5 years. Under Moldova’s legislation, foreigners may
    be declared undesirables if they have or if there are strong reasons to believe
    they intend to conduct activities likely to endanger the country’s national
    security or public order. According to the R. of Moldova, the Romanian
    authorities have been notified in this respect, and George Simion challenged
    the decision in court. The AUR leader was expelled from Moldova in 2018, with
    an entry ban in place for a period of 5 years.


    HEALTHCARE Trade
    unions in the healthcare sector have new talks scheduled next week with the
    Romanian authorities in the context of the recent protests. The vice-president
    of the Ambulanţa Trade Union Federation, Magyary Arpad, had a meeting on
    Friday with the healthcare minister, Alexandru Rafila, but failed to reach an
    agreement on salaries, equipment and the personnel shortage in the system.
    Arpad voiced optimism with respect to a 20% pay raise deal, but said he was not
    sure the measure would cover all healthcare personnel and whether it would be
    implemented in full or in several instalments. He said the talks also concerned
    the procurement of ambulance vehicles, office revamping and changes in the
    legislation. Trade unions in healthcare initiated nation-wide protests in
    November 2022, but suspended them until after next week’s meeting with PM
    Marcel Ciolacu. Talks will also be held in the coming days with the Sanitas trade
    union federation, which has its own salary demands for several categories of
    healthcare personnel.


    ALERT
    Healthcare units in Romania are implementing additional measures after a state
    of epidemiological alert was declared due to the growing number of respiratory
    infections and flu cases. Special attention is given to the health of hospital
    personnel and to the protection equipment, and visiting hours have been reduced.
    Visitor access is denied in ICUs, neonatology and pediatrics departments,
    coronary care units, oncology and hematology units, and in infectious disease
    units. In other hospital departments, no more than 2 visitors will be allowed
    at the same time in a room, and individual protection equipment will be
    compulsory.


    MIDDLE EAST The
    US conducted scores of air raids against targets operated by Iran-controlled
    groups in Iraq and Syria. The Pentagon said the raids were a response to the
    recent drone attack by Iran-supported fighters, which killed 3 US troops at a
    military base in Jordan, the BBC reports. Taking part in Friday’s raids were B1
    long-range bombers, flying out of the US. Iran condemned the strikes, claiming
    they violated the sovereignty of Syria and Iraq, AFP reports. In Bagdad, a
    government spokesman announced the US strikes in western Iraq killed at least
    16 people, including civilians. Meanwhile, the US state secretary Antony
    Blinken will travel to Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, Israel and the West Bank
    between February 4 and 8, primarily to reach a deal securing the freeing of all
    the Israeli hostages kept in Gaza following the Hamas terror attack of October
    7. (AMP)

  • February 3, 2024

    February 3, 2024

    AGREEMENT The PM
    of Romania Marcel Ciolacu and the representatives of farmers and carriers
    Friday reached an agreement ending the recent protests. On Monday, the PM’s
    office will set up an inter-ministry committee tasked with identifying the best
    solutions for the protesters’ demands. Farmers and carriers in Romania
    protested for 3 weeks against high business costs, low prices for produce, the
    import of cheap foodstuffs from Ukraine and the constraints introduced by the
    EU as part of its climate change action.


    COMMEMORATION A
    ceremony commemorating the prominent politician Iuliu Maniu, a former prime
    minister of Romania and leader of the National Christian-Democratic Party, was
    held on Saturday at the Memorial for the victims of communism in Sighetu
    Marmaţiei (north-west). Maniu died on the night of February 4 1953, in the political
    prison in Sighet, where he was serving a life sentence for high treason
    pronounced by the communist regime. His name was cleared under a Supreme Court
    ruling in 1998, and a monument was erected in his honour in the Revolution
    Square in Bucharest.


    MOLDOVA Chişinău
    extended an entry ban against the leader of the Romanian nationalist party AUR,
    George Simion, by another 5 years. Under Moldova’s legislation, foreigners may
    be declared undesirables if they have or if there are strong reasons to believe
    they intend to conduct activities likely to endanger the country’s national
    security or public order. According to the R. of Moldova, the Romanian
    authorities have been notified in this respect, and George Simion challenged
    the decision in court. The AUR leader was expelled from Moldova in 2018, with
    an entry ban in place for a period of 5 years.


    MIDDLE EAST The
    US conducted scores of air raids against targets operated by Iran-controlled
    groups in Iraq and Syria. The Pentagon said the raids were a response to the recent
    drone attack by Iran-supported fighters, which killed 3 US troops at a military
    base in Jordan, the BBC reports. Taking part in Friday’s raids were B1
    long-range bombers, flying out of the US. Iran condemned the strikes, claiming
    they violated the sovereignty of Syria and Iraq, AFP reports. In Bagdad, a
    government spokesman announced the US strikes in western Iraq killed at least
    16 people, including civilians. Meanwhile, the US state secretary Antony
    Blinken will travel to Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, Israel and the West Bank
    between February 4-8, primarily to reach a deal securing the freeing of all the
    Israeli hostages kept in Gaza following the Hamas terror attack of October 7.


    TENNIS The
    Romanian player Marius Copil takes on Stefanos Tsitsipas, no. 10 in the world,
    in Athens today, in the first match between Romania and Greece in the playoffs
    for the Davis Cup World Group I. The second singles match will be pitting Nicholas
    David Ionel against Aristotelis Thanos. The doubles match and 2 other singles
    games are scheduled for Sunday. Romania and Greece played twice against each
    other in the Davis Cup before, with one win each. Previously in this year’s competition,
    in the first round of the World Group I, Romania lost to Taiwan and Greece was
    defeated by Slovakia. (AMP)

  • Din nou despre războiul dronelor

    Din nou despre războiul dronelor

    Este știut că războaiele accelerează
    descoperirea de noi tehnici și materiale, accelerează cercetarea și
    descoperirile. Desigur, asta se poate face și în timp de pace, dar când nebunia
    distrugerii te amenință mecanismele societății se intensifică și alocarea de
    resurse nu se mai face într-o logică de eficiență sau democratică, se face din
    disperare. La începutul războiului din Ucraina, acum aproape doi ani, la 24
    februarie 2022, dronele erau încă o jucărie pentru copii sau un vis al celor
    care voiau să transporte cât mai eficient produse necesare, de urgență sau bere
    rece în locuri greu accesibile. Pe măsură ce prețul lor nu mai era așa mare, de
    drone s-au interesat cei care vor să surprindă imagini de la mare înălțime, să
    facă în ciuda sateliților atât de prețioși și complicați. Cu drona se filma la
    nunți, se făceau filme de reclamă, dar se și spiona. În acel moment, obiectele
    de zbor fără pilot, mai mari sau mai mici, fuseseră deja folosite în scop
    militar, pentru a da lovituri surprinzătoare. Desigur, erau un fel de avioane,
    mai mici, fără pilot, dar capabile să se vâre în locuri bine păzite.

    Dronele
    civile erau tot apanajul celor cu o telecomandă mică în mână care încercau să
    evite curenți de aer sau păsări nervoase. În primele luni de apărare disperată
    a ucrainenilor, un optimism de-a dreptul copilăresc a generat valul de
    utilizatori de drone care descoperea utilizarea lor în scopuri de informare
    militară. Ridicându-le în aer, vedeau câmpul de luptă, tirurile rușilor în
    ofensivă, dar și masacrele comise de Armata încă Roșie în localitățile ucrainene,
    morții zăcând pe străzi, cu bicicleta pe care circulau alături, casele
    distruse, cadavrele și gropile comune. Peisajul apocaliptic era văzut bine din
    cer. Apoi au pus explozibil pe aceste drone și le-au aruncat asupra tancurilor
    sau tranșeelor rusești.

    După faza ingenuă s-a trecut la cea profesionistă,
    militară, de o mai mare eficiență mortală. Au intrat repede în luptă acele
    avioane de mici dimensiuni și de o formă ciudată, dar bine dotate cu arme, care
    au intrat în etosul de război. E vorba de eroicele Bayraktar, cărora li s-a
    dedicat și un cântec. S-au întâmplat multe în acești doi ani de război în
    Ucraina, omenirea s-a obișnuit cu agresiunea internațională iar memoria nu
    funcționează decât pe termen scurt. Pentru un război local, doi ani este foarte
    mult. Nimeni nu își mai amintește de începutul clasic al acestui război, cu tancuri
    transportate pe șosea, cât mai adânc în teritoriul ucrainean, cu lovituri
    aeriene împotriva antenelor și aerodromurilor ucrainene, cu lupta pentru Kiev,
    cu jafurile și crimele comise, ca în Al Doilea Război Mondial, cu aceeași
    retorică de muzeu a unui lider autoritar care vine tot din vremuri de tristă
    amintire, sovietice.

    Între timp, Rusia a început să folosească și ea dronele,
    dar nu din producția proprie, ci importante din Iran. Această livrare intensă
    de drone iraniene pentru frontul din Ucraina este o expresie a frontului
    internațional ce pare a se fi creat în jurul Rusiei. Rusia pare a fi preluat
    inițitiva în folosirea dronelor, inclusiv în bombardare porturilor ucrainene de
    lângă Delta Dunării, la câteva sute de metri de România, unde, de altfel au și
    căzut resturi din aceste aparate de zbor încărcate de explozibil. Dronele devin
    tot mai eficiente, chiar dacă loviturile de artilerie se vor tot mai lungi și
    precise iar Coreea de Nord oferă Rusiei trenuri nesfârșite de rachete ce vor fi
    aruncate în Ucraina. Utilizarea dronelor pe scară largă, generalizată chiar, va
    continua pentru că Rusia a trecut la poziții de apărare, de înghețarea
    conflictului la acest nivel, trecând la o confruntare de uzură. Se bazează,
    evident, pe resursele nelimitate ca și teritoriul său, și nepăsarea legendară
    față de numărul militarilor săi căzuți pe front. Dacă au și drone, atunci
    războiul poate dura, nu se știe cât.

    Să nu uităm că în Transnistria, teritoriu
    al Republicii Moldova, separatiștii rusofoni au impus cu arma o stare de fapte
    care durează și acum, după mai bine de trei decenii. Modelul este cunoscut și a
    fost aplicat, ca un câmp minat, peste tot în spațiul de dominație revendicat de
    Rusia, care nu corespunde deloc cu granițele sale internațional recunoscute.
    Este metoda pescuitului în ape tulburi, pe care nici zborul dronelor nu îl
    tulbură.

  • 03.01.2024 (mise à jour)

    03.01.2024 (mise à jour)

    Drones – Les
    autorités roumaines ont adopté des mesures pour prévenir les incidents tels
    ceux signalés l’année dernière lorsque des drones utilisés par la Russie dans
    la guerre en Ukraine sont tombés sur le territoire de la Roumanie ou ont
    pénétré l’espace aérien de la Roumanie, a affirmé mardi soir dans une interview
    télévisée, le ministre roumain de la défense, Angel Tîlvar. Il a évoqué
    l’aménagement d’abris, la génération d’alarmes et l’instruction des
    représentants des autorités locales. Le ministre roumain de la défense a ajouté
    que si la Roumanie détenait des équipements performants pour dépister de tels
    appareils, il y a toute une série de limitations pour ce qui est de la capacité
    de détection, des limitations découlant de facteurs objectifs, tels la distance
    réduite entre les localités roumaines où des tels incidents ont eu lieu et le
    port ukrainien le plus proche. Par
    ailleurs, l’OTAN a annoncé mercredi qu’il achètera jusqu’à un millier de
    missiles sol-air Patriot, qui seront destinées aux Etats membres :
    Allemagne, Pays-Bas, Roumanie et Espagne. Le soutien pour le renforcement de la
    capacité de production de nouveaux missiles dans le cadre de l’initiative du
    bouclier aérien européen devrait augmenter, selon un communiqué cité par
    Reuters.

    Banque
    centrale roumaine –     Les réserves en devises de la Banque nationale de Roumanie
    ont atteint à la fin de l’année dernière les 60 milliards d’euros, en hausse
    par rapport à 2022 lorsqu’elles se chiffraient à plus de 46 milliards. Selon
    les chiffres de la Banque centrale, le niveau de la réserve d’or s’est maintenu
    à 103,6 tonnes, sa valeur étant de plus de 6 milliards d’euros. Les payements
    échéants en ce mois dans le compte de la dette publique en devises garantis par
    le ministère des Finances s’élèvent à quelque 900 millions d’euros.

    Tourisme
    –     L’intérêt des touristes pour les villes d’eaux de Roumanie a enregistré une
    croissance significative l’année dernière par rapport à 2022. Le président de
    l’organisation patronale du tourisme balnéaire, Nicu Rădulescu, a déclaré que
    la Roumanie compte parmi les premiers Etats européens aux côtés de l’Allemagne,
    de la France et de l’Italie. Il a également dit que le pays dispose
    actuellement d’une série de ressources naturelles immenses, mais qu’il fallait implémenter
    une stratégie qui puisse mieux mettre en valeur le potentiel de ces stations.


























    Teheran
    –     Au moins 103 personnes ont été tuées et plus de 180 blessées dans un attentat
    perpétré mercredi près de la tombe de Qassem Soleimani, architecte des
    opérations militaires iraniennes au Moyen-Orient dont l’Iran commémore le
    quatrième anniversaire de la mort, ont rapporté des médias d’Etat, cités par
    AFP. Une double explosion a eu lieu près de la mosquée Saheb al-Zaman, ou se
    trouve la tombe du général Soleimani, a Kerman, dans le sud de l’Iran. Une
    foule compacte composée de représentants du régime et d’anonymes y était
    rassemblée pour une cérémonie. L’attaque, qualifiée d’attentat par des
    responsables israéliens et les médias d’Etat, mais qui n’a pas été revendiquée
    dans l’immédiat, survient dans un contexte régional tres tendu depuis le début
    du conflit il y a près de trois mois entre Israël et le Hamas a Gaza, et au
    lendemain de l’élimination d’un haut responsable du mouvement islamiste
    palestinien dans une frappe de drone près de Beyrouth.

    Israël – Israël
    a élevé le niveau de sécurité au maximum dans le nord du pays et l’armée a
    transmit qu’elle était prête à tout scénario au lendemain de l’assassinat du
    numéro deux du mouvement Hamas à Beyrouth, la capitale libanaise. Saleh
    al-Arouri, 57 ans, est le plus haut dirigeant du Hamas tué depuis qu’Israël est
    entré en guerre contre le groupe terroriste après son attaque du 7 octobre
    contre Israël. Suite à l’élimination du numéro deux de l’organisation, le Hamas
    a fait savoir aux pays qui intervenaient comme médiateurs dans les négociations
    pour la libération des otages israéliens qu’il se retirait des pourparlers.
    Selon le correspondant de RRA, le secrétaire d’Etat américain Antony Blinken,
    qui devait arriver jeudi en Israël, a annulé sa visite, pour le remettre probablement
    à la semaine prochaine. Israël a pris des mesures de sécurité maximales dans le
    nord du pays face à l’éventualité d’une réaction virulente de l’organisation
    Hezbollah. Le président français Emmanuel Macron a exhorté Israël d’éviter toute
    attitude d’escalade, notamment au Liban.

  • Nazanin Kaveh, adaptarea unei familii iranieine la viața din România

    Nazanin Kaveh, adaptarea unei familii iranieine la viața din România

    Nazanin Kaveh este arhitect-proiectant, designer, decoratoare și tehniciană proiectantă. Este absolventă a Universității de Arhitectură și Urbanism Ion Mincu din București și are o dublă cetățenie – este de origine iraniană, născută la Teheran, dar are și cetățenie română. Cum a început povestea sa românească?



    Am ajuns în România în 1998, tatăl meu lucra aici și pentru aproape doi ani am fost singuri- eu, mama și fratele meu nou-născut locuiam în Iran. Și am hotărât să ne reunim aici, după aproape doi ani. Mama, fiind profesoară, voia să se întoarcă la muncă, iar pe vremea aceea exista și o școală iraniană. Eu am făcut opt ani școala iraniană din București.


    Am venit aici, era altă lume decât ceea ce văzusem noi în Iran. În fiecare an mama zicea că ne întoarcem și chiar și după 25 de ani nu ne-am mai întors. Mama s-a angajat aici la școala iraniană din București, care s-a desființat acum aproape patru ani, din păcate. Eu și fratele meu am făcut școala iraniană cu gândul că ne întoarcem, dar, după opt clase și după aproape 10 ani de stat în România, am hotărât să ne schimbăm școala, eu din liceu, fratele meu dintr-o clasă mai mică. A fost foarte greu, foarte greu și cu limba română și cu adaptarea în noul mediu, dar iată, după câțiva ani am putut, am învins această frică și teamă.”



    Ce vârstă avea Nazanin Kaveh când a ajuns în România și cum se simte acum?



    Aveam cinci ani și săptămâna trecută am împlinit 30 de ani. Ceea ce simt eu și poate și alții de vârsta mea care au trecut prin această mutare este că nu știu unde e acasă. Nici aici nu ne simțim acasă, nici acasă nu suntem chiar acasă. Aici avem familie, avem casă, am crescut, am făcut școala, avem prieteni, dar ceva lipsește. Cam o dată la trei- patru ani ne întoarcem în Iran. Acolo am amintiri, am familie, e o parte din mine pe care nu o regăsesc în România. Sunt alte obiceiuri, altă viață.”



    Am întrebat-o pe Nazanin cum e viața ei aici. A păstrat familia ei tradițiile iraniene și au simțit că pot crea o oază culturală în mijlocul unei civilizații diferite?



    Da, avem un grup de prieteni iranieni și noi, familia noastră, noi ținem doar sărbătorile și tradițiile noastre. De exemplu, n-am făcut niciodată brad de Crăciun, nu am sărbătorit Paștele noi ca familie, doar Anul Nou iranian și alte tradiții sărbătorim în fiecare an. Am și prieteni români foarte buni, am și prieteni iranieni. Cu fiecare mă înțeleg altfel. Limbajul cu care vorbim și sentimentele pe care le avem reciproc sunt diferite în funcție de fiecare om. Adică cum te exprimi sau cum te înțelege persoana respectivă, oricât de bine ai ști limba, e altceva.”



    Ce îi lipsește din Teheran și cum le descrie celor din Iran România?



    În Iran când mergem, mergem în vacanță. Nu pot să zic că am trăit viața de zi cu zi de acolo ca să îmi dau seama ce-mi lipsește, dar toată bucuria și toate ieșirile cu familia, cu prietenii – astea îmi lipsesc. Peisajele, liniștea pe care o avem aici, siguranța, aprecierea- acestea sunt cele mai importante lucruri pe care le am în România.”



    Ce i-ar plăcea să vadă schimbat aici?



    Nu știu dacă ține doar de România sau așa este peste tot, dar în ultima vreme văd că oamenii au devenit mai răi, nu doar cu străinii, cu oricine, pentru oricine este valabil. Vreau să fim mai iubitori, mai înțelegători, mai calmi, să ne iubim mai mult, să nu ne enervăm pentru orice mică chestie, să nu ne stricăm ziua pentru ceva banal. Asta e ceea ce îmi doresc să se schimbe nu doar în România, ci peste tot.”



    Ce îi place cel mai mult, care sunt locurile preferate în România în care i-ar duce pe membrii familiei din Iran care n-au ajuns încă aici?



    Aici e acasă, într-un fel. Nu pot să zic că ceva anume îmi place aici. Aici am copilărit, aici îmi plâns, aici am râs. Aici am 90% din amintirile din viața mea. Îmi place natura, îmi place la munte, apreciez foarte mult liniștea, ador să aud animalele, vântul, natura. Îmi place să merg la munte cel mai mult. Cu siguranță i-aș duce la Sinaia, la Zărnești, la Timișoara. Încă nu am fost eu, dar chiar îmi doresc să călătoresc în Maramureș. Acestea sunt locurile în care aș duce pe oricine.”