Radio România Internațional

Tag: KFOR

  • Romania and regional security

    Romania and regional security

    The consolidation of cooperation in the field of regional security, with an emphasis on the EUFOR Althea mission, in which Romania assumed a significant role, was included in the agenda of talks occasioned by the bilateral meeting of the Romanian Defense Minister, Angel Tîlvăr, on Wednesday, in Sarajevo, with his counterpart from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Zukan Helez. Against the backdrop of increasingly complex security challenges in the Western Balkans region, Minister Tîlvăr reiterated Bucharest’s firm commitment to actively contributing to efforts to maintain peace and stability in the region. “Romania has always been a firm supporter of security in the Western Balkans and the European path of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the EUFOR Althea mission, to which we are currently contributing with the most important contingent, represents a central pillar in the international efforts on this level. We are proud of our constant contribution, and we are ready to take over the command of EUFOR in 2025, a commitment that reflects our determination in this regard”, said Angel Tîlvăr.

     

    The bilateral defense cooperation agreement, signed in June 2024, was another important topic on the agenda of the two ministers’ discussions. The document establishes the framework for the deepening of military collaboration between the two states, including aspects of joint training, exchange of experience and logistical support. At the same time, Angel Tîlvăr conveyed a message of solidarity to the people affected by the recent floods in Bosnia and Herzegovina and informed that the aid recently sent by the Romanian Government to this country, as humanitarian support, will be supplemented. Previously, Minister Angel Tîlvăr was in Kosovo, where he met with the command team of the NATO peacekeeping operation KFOR, to which Romania has an important contribution, and with the Romanian soldiers on mission in this theater of operations. The North Atlantic Alliance has been conducting the multinational peacekeeping operation KFOR (Kosovo Force) since 1999, when it was decided to create an international security presence in Kosovo. “As a member of NATO and the European Union, Romania is ready to comply with its obligations and support allied efforts to maintain security and promote peace in the Western Balkans region”, the Romanian minister pointed out.

     

    He also met with the Romanian military working in the Camp Film City and Camp Novo Selo military bases in Pristina. The minister highlighted the excellent cooperation between the Romanian forces and those deployed by the allies in the KFOR Operation. “The lesson learned by Romania in the last three decades in which it has contributed to peace enforcement and peacekeeping missions and operations is that security is obtained by countering challenges where they exist, in order not to allow instability to reach home,” Minister Angel Tîlvăr concluded. (LS)

  • Romania. Eastern Flank: Rotation of forces of the French detachment within the NATO Battle Group hosted by Romania

    The Defense ministers from the countries participating in the B9 Initiative met last week in Bucharest, to discuss allied measures to strengthen the deterrence and defense posture. Regarding the security situation in the Black Sea region and NATO’s Eastern Flank, the Romanian Defense Minister, Angel Tîlvăr, emphasized that the Russian Federation remained the most important threat to the security of the Allies. The B9 format (Bucharest 9) was launched in 2015 by Romania and Poland as a platform for dialogue and cooperation between NATO’s eastern allies. The initiative also includes Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia and Hungary. Meetings in this format are held periodically, at the level of heads of state, foreign and defense ministers.

     

    Rotation of the forces of the French detachment within the NATO Battle Group hosted by Romania: Colonel Jean Michelin took over the command of the group from his compatriot, Colonel Louis-Marie Levacher, during a ceremony held on September 17 in the Cincu National Training Center (central Romania). The French troops in Romania thus reach the 9th rotation of the Aigle mission, carried out to strengthen the allied deterrence posture in the region. The Allied Battle Group located on the territory of Romania also includes forces from the armies of Belgium and Luxembourg, with a total of one thousand soldiers.

     

    The MAMBA system has recently participated in an air defense exercise planned by NATO’s Allied Air Command. Several aircraft participated, including Romanian, Greek and Turkish F-16s and a Spanish F-18, with the aim of testing their interoperability in space. The medium-range MAMBA surface-to-air defense system deployed in Romania was able to demonstrate its expertise in integrated air defense, working to defend its area of ​​responsibility with air defense fighters from several countries.

     

    The Romanian soldiers deployed within the Tactical Reserve Battalion of the KFOR mission under the auspices of NATO are being trained, together with their Hungarian and Swiss colleagues, in scenario-based exercises for crowd and riots control and for the protection of the force of the Swiss units, as part of their joint training at Camp Novo-Selo, in Kosovo. These periodic activities are essential to guarantee the highest operational standards of KFOR and the readiness to face all possible security scenarios. KFOR continues to implement its mandate based on UN Security Council Resolution 1244 of 1999 to contribute to a secure environment for all individuals and communities living in Kosovo and to ensuring the freedom of movement at all times.

     

    We also inform you that the Romanian Naval Forces are participating with ‘Mine sweeper 30’ in the second activation of the Task Force to combat sea mines in the Black Sea. The naval group also includes a minesweeper and a logistic support ship, both from Turkey, and a minesweeper of the Bulgarian Naval Forces. The mission will run until the end of this month, an interval during which the multinational exercise NUSRET 24 will also take place.  (Constantin Herțanu, LS)

  • Nouveau déploiement de troupes roumaines au Kosovo

    Nouveau déploiement de troupes roumaines au Kosovo

    La Roumanie va déployer prochainement une compagnie d’infanterie, qui fait partie de sa réserve stratégique dans le cadre de la mission de l’OTAN au Kosovo, a fait savoir le ministère de la défense de Bucarest. Cette décision s’inscrit dans les efforts du Conseil de l’Atlantique Nord de renforcer les forces déjà déployées sur le terrain pour gérer la situation actuelle dans les Balkans de l’ouest. La Roumanie s’est engagée en tant que membre de l’OTAN et de l’UE de contribuer avec des forces et avec des moyens militaires aux efforts de maintien d’un milieu stable de sécurité dans la région des Balkans, connue historiquement comme « la poudrière de l’Europe ». Aux côtés de l’Espagne, de la Grèce, de Chypre et de la Slovaquie, la Roumanie est un des cinq Etats membres de l’UE à ne pas reconnaitre l’Etat kosovare et ses troupes s’y trouvent sous mandat international pour préserver une paix fragile entre les communautés serbe et albanaise. A présent la Roumanie compte 330 militaires déployés sur des théâtres d’opérations des Balkans de l’ouest, dont 250 en Bosnie Herzégovine et 80 au Kosovo.

    Les tensions au Kosovo se sont amplifiées à nouveau, après plusieurs années d’accalmie. Fin septembre, un gang paramilitaire composé de plusieurs dizaines d’hommes a tué un policier kosovare albanais et blessé un autre près du village de Banka, dans le nord de la province. Trois membres de ce commando, constitué de serbes kosovares ont été ensuite tués durant une opération lancée par les forces spéciales de la police kosovare. Le déploiement des troupes serbes à la frontière du Kosovo fait penser aux actions de la Russie envers l’Ukraine, juste avant son invasion – a affirmé la ministre kosovare des Affaires Etrangères, Donika Gervalla-Schwarz. Selon elle « il n’y a jamais eu une telle concentration de troupes au cours des dernières années » et « l’armement dont ils disposent, tous les chars nous créent une mauvaise sensation parce que nous ne savons pas comment va répondre la communauté internationale ». Mme Gervalla-Schwarz a demandé à l’Union européenne d’adopter des mesures contre la Serbie, notamment de geler son statut de pays candidat à l’adhésion.

    La semaine dernière, les Etats Unis avaient déjà constaté une concentration inquiétante de l’armée serbe le long de la frontière avec le Kosovo. Et ce fut également la semaine dernière que le président serbe, Aleksandar Vucic a déclaré qu’il ne comptait pas ordonner à ses troupes de traverser la frontière avec l’ex-province serbe, dont la majorité de la population est albanaise et qui a proclamé son indépendance face à Belgrade en 2008. Une escalade du conflit serait nuisible aux aspirations de la Serbie d’adhérer à l’UE affirme M Vucic. Ensuite ce fut le commandant de l’armée serbe, le général Milan Moisilovic à déclarer avoir ordonné le retrait de la moitié des plus de 8 mille militaires déployés à la frontière. (Bogdan Matei)

  • 31.05.2023

    31.05.2023

    Gouvernement – Le Cabinet de Bucarest doit adopter aujourd’hui un décret d’urgence pour payer les dédommagements aux agriculteurs touchés par la sécheresse du printemps de l’année dernière. Ce schéma d’aide d’Etat est destiné aux agriculteurs qui ont eu des cultures de maïs, de tournesol, de soja et de petit-pois. Le ministère de l’Agriculture doit présenter ce mercredi un projet législatif d’urgence, mettant en place un schéma d’aide d’Etat sous la forme d’un financement non-remboursable accordé aux producteurs agricoles pour compenser partiellement les dépenses réalisées depuis la constitution de la culture et jusqu’à la récolte. Chisinau – La République de Moldova accueillera demain le Sommet de la Communauté politique européenne, qui réunira une cinquantaine de chefs d’Etat et de gouvernement. La Commission européenne est représentée par la présidente Ursula von der Leyen et par le chef de la diplomatie européenne, Josep Borrell, qui rencontrent aujourd’hui les responsables de Chisinau. Parmi les sujets à l’agenda des réunions : la sécurité, la stabilité et la coopération sur le continent européen. Hier, le Conseil de l’UE a décidé de doublé l’aide macro-financière destinée à la République de Moldova de 150 à 295 millions d’euros.

    AGRIFISH – Les ministres de l’agriculture de l’Union européenne réunis dans le cadre du conseil AGRIFISH n’ont pas réussi à débloquer l’aide de 100 millions d’euros destinés aux agriculteurs touchés par les exportations ukrainiennes de céréales à bas prix. Parmi les cinq Etats dont cette aide est destinée figure aussi la Roumanie qui devrait recevoir une trentaine de millions d’euros. Le commissaire européen à l’agriculture, Ianusz Wojciechowski, a assuré que l’aide serait débloquée et que la situation serait suivie. Le responsable européen a affirmé qu’il n’était pas favorable à l’utilisation du budget de l’UE pour acheter des céréales ukrainiennes et de les délivrer ensuite au programme alimentaire mondial, puisque les couts seraient trois fois supérieures que les céréales proprement dites. Il affirme que l’argent serait mieux utilisé à long terme pour améliorer l’infrastructure de la Roumanie, par exemple, et a annoncé qu’il analyserait cette perspective avec Adina Valean, commissaire européenne aux transports et à l’infrastructure.

    Politique – Le président roumain, Klaus Iohannis a convoqué aujourd’hui les leaders de la coalition gouvernementale PSD-PNL-UDMR à des pourparlers visant à solutionner la grève de l’Education nationale. Il a rencontré mardi une délégation des leaders syndicaux de l’Education nationale auxquels il a transmis la disponibilité de gérer la conclusion d’un accord politique signé par tous les partis de la coalition gouvernementale, qui contiendra la grille des salaires et des délais claires d’application. L’offre de l’Exécutif, qui prévoit deux primes de quelque 800 euros a été rejetée, mais les leaders syndicaux affirment que la proposition du président pourra potentiellement solutionner le conflit. Entre temps, la grève générale de l’enseignement préuniversitaire entre dans sa 10e journée. Jusqu’à une décision sur la fin du conflit syndical, le ministère de l’Education nationale a prolongé la période d’inscription au baccalauréat jusqu’au 9 juin.

    Kosovo – L’OTAN déploiera au Kosovo un contingent supplémentaire de quelque 700 soldats après les violences durant lesquelles une trentaine de membres de la Force internationale de maintien de la paix Kfor ont été blessés. Le nombre de militaires de la force Kfor montera à 4 500. Ce déploiement « est un mesure préventive pour s’assurer que la Kfor dispose des capacités nécessaires pour maintenir la sécurité » a fait savoir l’Alliance. Pour sa part, le secrétaire général adjoint de l’OTAN, Mircea Geoană, a déclaré que « de telles attaques étaient totalement inacceptables » et a souligné que « les violences devraient cesser immédiatement ». A son tour, l’Union Européenne a demandé tant à la Serbie qu’au Kosovo, Etat que la Roumanie ne reconnaît pas, d’adopter les mesures nécessaires pour réduire les tensions. Onze soldats italiens et 19 hongrois des forces internationales de maintien de la paix ont été blessés lundi durant des heurts avec des protestataires serbes qui demandaient le remplacement des maires d’ethnie albanaise.

    Oslo – C’est à Oslo, en Norvège que se réunissent aujourd’hui et demain les ministres des Affaires Etrangères du Conseil de l’Atlantique Nord. La réunion, consacrée au soutien accordé à l’Ukraine et aux relations avec la Russie est présidé par le secrétaire général de l’Alliance, Jens Stoltenberg. Reuters note que les ministres des Affaires Etrangères de l’OTAN chercheront à Oslo à dépasser les divergences entre leurs Etats au sujet d’une prochaine adhésion de l’Ukraine à l’organisation, certains Etats alliés demandant qu’une feuille de route soit présentée à Kiev durant le Sommet de Vilnius en juillet.

    Concerts – L’orchestre national de France donne ces mercredi et jeudi deux concerts extraordinaires à Timisoara, dans l’ouest de la Roumanie. Sur la scène de la Philharmonie du Banat monteront la violoniste Sarah Nemtanu, le pianiste David Fray et une centaine de musiciens sous la baguette du chef d’orchestre roumain Cristian Măcelaru, qui est aussi le directeur artistique de l’orchestre national de France. Au programme : des morceaux de Robert Schumann, Zoltán Kodály et Georges Bizet ainsi que des moments folkloriques. Ces concerts font partie du programme Timisoara Capitale européenne de la culture 2023.

    Tennis – La seule représentante de la Roumanie qui reste en compétition à Roland Garros, Irina Begu, affronte ce mercredi, au deuxième round, l’Italienne Sara Errani. Mardi, sa compatriote, Sorana Cîrstea a été éliminée de la compétition par l’Italienne Jasmine Paolini. Mardi encore, la joueuses canadienne d’origine roumaine, Bianca Andreescu a remporté son match contre la Biélorusse Victoria Azarenka.

    Météo – Il fait beau aujourd’hui en Roumanie. Sur l’ouest et le sud, l’instabilité sera présente avec des pluies et des orages ainsi que du vent fort. Ciel variable sur le reste du pays. Les maxima vont de 21 à 30 degrés. 27 degrés en ce moment à Bucarest.

  • January 10, 2022

    January 10, 2022

    Covid. The first cases of infection with the new strain of the coronavirus, called Kraken, have been confirmed in Romania. Specialists say that, although the number of cases of COVID-19 is on the rise again, there are no problems managing them, including those that require hospitalization, and the new variants of SARS-CoV-2 do not generate concerns about the severity of the disease. On the other hand, there have also been cases of double infection, with flu and Covid, and a 74-year-old woman diagnosed with Flurona, a term used by specialists to describe simultaneous infection with the two viruses, has died.



    Visit. The Romanian Minister of Defense, Angel Tîlvăr, accompanied by the Chief of Staff, General Daniel Petrescu, is on a formal visit to Poland today. The program includes bilateral meetings with the Polish Minister of Defense, Mariusz Blaszczak, with representatives of the leadership of the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces, as well as with the soldiers of the Romanian air defense detachment Sky Guardians from the NATO Battle Group, deployed in Bemowo Piskie Training Area. According to the Ministry of Defense, the visit of the Romanian officials to Poland is proof of the excellent cooperation between the two countries, both bilaterally and within NATO. On Monday, Angel Tîlvăr and General Daniel Petrescu met with the Romanian soldiers stationed in the NATO military base in Pristina, Kosovo, who participate in the NATO KFOR operation. The officials from Bucharest also discussed the security situation in the region with the KFOR commander, Major General Angelo Michele Ristuccia (Italy).



    Meeting. Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă had a meeting in Bucharest with the ambassadors to Romania of the Czech Republic, Halka Kaiserova, and Slovakia, Karol Mistrik, which was also attended by the representative of the Czech and Slovak minority in the Romanian Parliament, Adrian Miroslav Merka. During the discussions, aspects regarding the separation of the representation of the Czech and Slovak minorities in Romania into two distinct entities, with their own operating statutes, were examined. The importance of going through the appropriate procedural steps quickly to ensure an effective separation, which would allow the timely re-accreditation of the two distinct forms of representation and their participation in the next local and parliamentary elections, was emphasized. The meeting was a good opportunity to review the status of Romanias bilateral relations with the two countries, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The parties appreciated the excellent level of bilateral dialogue and emphasized the importance of boosting economic cooperation.



    Interest. The National Bank of Romania might increase the reference interest rate again today, in the first board meeting this year. Financial analysts expect the key interest rate to reach 7%, from the current 6.75%. It is the highest level of the key interest rate in 13 years. A higher key interest rate would automatically lead to an increase in loan rates in lei. Increasing interest rates is the main means by which the National Bank acts to keep inflation under control, after a year with record price increases.



    Deficit. Romania recorded, in the first 11 months of last year, a record trade balance deficit: the difference between imports and exports exceeded 31 billion euros, according to official statistical data. Romanias international trade continues to be dominated by exchanges with the member states of the European Union, which hold over 72% of the total in the case of exports and approximately 70 percent in terms of imports. More on this after the news.



    Research. The year 2022 was the most satisfactory for most Romanians (54%) compared to 2020 (24%) and 2021 (22%), years strongly marked by the restrictions caused by the pandemic, according to data from a Reveal Marketing Research study . According to the research, with the regaining of more freedoms, Romanians became more relaxed and optimistic in 2022. Regarding the expectations for the new year, Romanians are the most optimistic about the improvement of their personal financial situation compared to 2022 (43%). At the opposite pole, the level of pessimism reaches the highest values ​​with regard to the direction taken by the country starting this year, the improvement of the countrys economic situation and the reduction of the level of corruption being perceived as difficult or even impossible objectives to achieve by 46%, respectively 67 % of respondents. Regarding the professional sphere, 23% of Romanians want to change their job in 2023, and 50% want to keep their current job. The study was conducted online between December 28, 2022 and January 1, 2023 on a sample of 1,005 respondents, and the maximum sampling error is +/-3.1% at a 95% confidence level. (MI)



  • Conducerea MApN s-a întâlnit cu militarii români din baza NATO KFOR din Pristina, Kosovo

    Conducerea MApN s-a întâlnit cu militarii români din baza NATO KFOR din Pristina, Kosovo

    Ministrul apărării naționale, Angel Tîlvăr și șeful Statului Major al Apărării, generalul Daniel Petrescu, s-au întâlnit luni, 9 ianuarie, cu militarii români dislocați în baza militară NATO din Pristina, Kosovo (participanți în operația NATO Kosovo Force – KFOR). Programul conducerii MApN a inclus și întrevederi cu comandantul KFOR, generalul-maior Angelo Michele Ristuccia (Italia).

    În prima parte a vizitei, delegația oficială s-a întâlnit cu militarii care constituie contingentul românesc KFOR. Înlocuitorul seniorului național în Kosovo, locotenent-colonel Pavel-Nicolae Istvanovicz, a prezentat misiunile executate, modul de integrare în structura de forțe, precum şi condițiile de viață din bază. Dialogul a reliefat că starea moralului este foarte bună, echipamentele corespund necesităților operative și relațiile de cooperare cu militarii din KFOR se mențin la un nivel excelent.

    În alocuțiunea sa, ministrul Angel Tîlvăr a transmis că, de la preluarea mandatului la conducerea ministerului, și-a propus să-i întâlnească pe militarii români din teatrele de operaţii, Kosovo fiind prima vizită din această serie de întâlniri. De asemenea, a apreciat rolul militarilor români în ansamblul relațiilor KFOR cu membrii comunităților locale. Totodată, le-a reamintit că modul de îndeplinire a sarcinilor ce revin Armatei României în cadrul KFOR rămâne în agenda zilnică de analiză și decizie a Ministerului Apărării Naționale. Cunoașteți că, așa cum s-a stabilit, în acest an ministerului i s-au alocat 2,5% din PIB, buget care permite din punct de vedere financiar, asigurarea echipamentelor necesare apărării. Dar vreau să știți că, înainte de a discuta despre achiziții și înzestrare, pe primul loc în atenția ministerului se găsesc condițiile de viață ale militarilor, a afirmat Angel Tîlvăr.

    La rândul său, generalul Daniel Petrescu le-a transmis celor 68 de militari români din KFOR că, în contextul noilor provocări de securitate, este nevoie de un nivel crescut de atenție, pentru a-și îndeplini cu succes mandatul primit.

    La finalul întâlnirii, în semn de apreciere a modului de îndeplinire a misiunilor încredințate, ministrul Angel Tîlvăr a oferit o plachetă cu însemnele heraldice ale MApN locotenent-colonelului Nicușor-Lucian Pârvu, iar șeful Apărării a conferit Emblema de Onoare a Statului Major al Apărării locotenent-colonelului Pavel-Nicolae Istvanovicz și Emblema de merit în slujba Păcii clasa a II-a sergentului-major Cristian-Valentin Hangiu.

    Discuțiile conducerii MApN cu generalul-maior Angelo Michele Ristuccia, din cea de-a doua parte a vizitei în Film City, au vizat situația de securitate din Kosovo, inclusiv analiza în context regional, și participarea, în continuare, a militarilor români la operația KFOR. Ministrul Angel Tîlvăr a afirmat că stabilitatea în Balcanii de Vest reprezintă o axă strategică. De-a lungul celor peste două decenii ale operației aliate în Kosovo, militarii KFOR au reprezentat un factor major de stabilizare a situației de securitate. Prezența NATO este necesară pentru păstrarea progresului vizibil din acest teatru de operații.

    Șeful Statului Major al Apărării și comandantul KFOR au evaluat eficacitatea creșterii numărului de misiuni în Kosovo, în condițiile intensificării tensiunilor de la finele anului trecut. De asemenea, cei doi au trecut în revistă datele curente ale operației. În contextul amplificării provocărilor de securitate, evoluția situației din Kosovo impune întărirea posturii KFOR și evidențiază rolul fundamental al misiunii aliate în acest teatru de operații, a subliniat generalul Daniel Petrescu.

  • October 22, 2016

    October 22, 2016

    CETA – Romania will carry on negotiations with Canada on lifting visa requirements for Romanians, irrespective of the decisions on the EU – Canada free trade agreement. President Klaus Iohannis said, at the end of the European Council meeting in Brussels, that talks on this topic would follow their appointed course and that there was no deadline for completing them. Negotiations on the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) have been resumed in Brussels today, after last night they were suspended because of the opposition of the Belgian region of Wallonia, which is against a number of provisions in the text. Romania has pinned its hopes on CETA, on which the lifting of visa requirements for its citizens depended. More specifically, Bucharest had reached a deal with Ottawa to allow visa-free entry for its citizens as of December next year, in exchange for Romania giving up its objections to CETA. In fact, President Klaus Iohannis had announced yesterday morning that an agreement had been reached on a gradual elimination of visas. Because of Wallonias veto, the EU-Canada trade agreement is currently suspended, and so is the issue of visa requirements for Romanians.




    OFFICIAL VISIT – The PM of Romania, Dacian Cioloş, says he has only heard praises for the professionalism of the Romanian troops taking part in missions in Sarajevo and Pristina. Dacian Cioloş and the Defence Minister, Mihnea Motoc, were on an official visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo yesterday. In Sarajevo, the two had talks with the commanders of the NATO and EU missions and meetings with the Romanian military taking part in missions in the Western Balkans. PM Cioloş said the region had great strategic importance for Romania, which is interested in ensuring an improvement of the local situation. Romania has 40 troops deployed as part of the EUFOR mission in Bosnia, alongside 20 other countries, including 15 EU member states. In Pristina, the head of the Romanian government announced that in 2017 the number of Romanian troops participating in the KFOR mission in Kosovo would increase, although it would not reach its past levels. At present 56 Romanians take part in NATOs KFOR mission.




    ILLEGAL MIGRANTS – Small groups of illegal migrants were found yesterday on Romanias western and north-eastern borders. In the west, 7 Pakistani citizens were caught trying to illegally cross into Romania from Serbia. In the north-east, 6 Afghans attempted the illegal crossing of Romanias Ukrainian border. They said they were planning to reach a western European country.




    NATO – The Black Sea region is a geostrategic region where threats for NATO and for its eastern and southern partners overlap, including migration, terror groups and trafficking, said Gen. Nicolae Ciucă, Chief of general Staff of the Romanian Army. He represented Romania at the Strategic Military Partner Conference organised in Bucharest by NATOs Allied Command Transformation. Attending were representatives of 70 NATO member and partner countries. Columbia and Nigeria took part for the first time in talks in this context. The Strategic Military Partner Conference convenes every year and is the main NATO forum discussing the transformations and future challenges for the Alliance and its partners. The main topic of this years talks was the prospective enlargement of partnerships with the North-Atlantic Alliance.




    TENNIS – The WTA Finals kick off tomorrow in Singapore. The tournament has 7 million US dollars in prize money. The Romanian Simona Halep, seed no 3 in this competition, yesterday found out her opponents in the group stage. She will play in the Red Group against top seed and world no 1 Angelique Kerber (Germany), Madison Keys (SUA) and Dominika Cibulkova (Slovakia). The White Group includes Polands Agnieszka Radwanska, Karolina Pliskova (Czech Republic), Garbine Muguruza (Spain), with the last spot in this group to be filled by either Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova or Britians Johanna Konta. Simona Halep takes part for the third time in the WTA Finals, after having played the 2014 finals against Serena Williams, and leaving the competition last year in the group stage. The tournament in Singapore is due to end on October 30. Also today, the Romanian player Monica Niculescu (no 51 in the world) takes on Petra Kvitova, of the Czech Republic, in the Luxembourg final, in a tournament with 250,000 US dollars in total prize money.