Radio România Internațional

Tag: King Charles III

A royal visit

Many have wondered if Charles III, who became King of the United Kingdom after the death of his mother, Elizabeth II, last September, and was crowned at the beginning of May, will ever visit Romania again, in his new position. The attachment to the country which he first visited a quarter of a century ago, as Crown Prince, and which he has visited frequently since then, is, however, unaltered, and the fact that the new British monarch chose Romania as his destination for his first trip abroad is proof thereof. I have always felt rather at home in Romania, Charles said at the reception ceremony organized by President Klaus Iohannis in his honor on Friday.

The British sovereign had an emotional speech, which began in Romanian: Doamnelor si domnilor, Mr. President, ladies and gentlemen, I cannot describe what great pleasure it gives me to be visiting Romania once again. I believe that 25 years have gone by since my first visit to this most remarkable country. When I came here, and even before, I felt a deep connection to Romania. As I have said before, I have come to love Romania – your culture and art, your heritage and history, your sweeping landscapes and priceless biodiversity, this ‘tara de gloria, tara de dor (country of glory, country of longing), if I may paraphrase your national poet, Mihai Eminescu.

President Iohannis thanked the British sovereign for the role he plays in protecting the values related to the Romanian identity and for his openness to what the Romanian village represents and recalled the efforts Charles made to protect the ecosystem and restore the unique biodiversity of Romania. If the first day of his visit, on Friday, in Bucharest, represented the courtesy component of his presence in Romania, Charles dedicated the next four to visits to towns in two Transylvanian counties, Covasna and Braşov, villages which won him over from the very beginning and where he owns properties that he has restored, saving them from destruction. He was warmly received by the locals, as has happened every time in the last two decades and he enjoyed nature walks.

He is showing us his affection through this gesture, said a local official about the King’s visit, quoted by AFP. The French news agency reports that King Charles is proud to be a distant relative of a 15th-century ruler known as Vlad the Impaler, who inspired the character of Count Dracula, and that he has, in his own words, ‘Transylvania in blood’. An avowed environmentalist, he discovered the region in 1998, and became a protector of the villages in the heart of Romania, founded by German settlers eight centuries ago, AFP recalls. It will be a unique moment for our community to welcome the king, a sign of recognition of the work done all these years, emphasized the president of the Mihai Eminescu Trust foundation dedicated to the protection of the Transylvanian heritage which is operating under the patronage of king Charles. (LS)

6 June 2023
June 4, 2023 UPDATE

Pentecost — The majority Orthodox Christians in Romania and the Greek Catholics will celebrate on Monday, the second day of Pentecost, dedicated to the Holy Trinity. On the second day of Pentecost in some areas of the country pots are offered to people, which should be decorated with flowers and be accompanied by a bread ring with a candle on top for those who have passed away. Beautifully decorated plates are also given away for the living. Pentecost or the Descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles marks the foundation of the Christian Church and is celebrated 50 days after Easter. According to the New Testament, the 12 Apostles, gathered in a house, received the Holy Spirit, who gave them the power to preach in languages they had never spoken before. Following the sermon of the Apostle Peter, 3,000 people were baptized and formed the first Christian community. In churches, on Pentecost day, the faithful receive blessed walnut leaves, symbols of the flames that appeared above the heads of the Apostles, at the time of the Descent of the Holy Spirit.

Prize – Human rights and human dignity are key elements for the construction of societies characterized by freedom, democracy and solidarity, President Klaus Iohannis said on Sunday, upon receiving the Franz Werfel Prize for Human Rights for the year 2023, during a ceremony held in Frankfurt on Main. The head of the Romanian state showed that for Romania, the people belonging to national minorities represent not only a rich cultural and human heritage, but also a real added value for the whole society. During the ceremony, the Laudatio speech was delivered by Jean-Claude Juncker, former President of the European Commission and former Prime Minister of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, who highlighted the merits of President Klaus Iohannis in the fight against corruption, in the observance of the rule of law and the protection of minorities. On Saturday, also in Germany, the Romanian president received the German Civic Award, granted by the Bad Harzburg Civic Foundation, in Dusseldorf. In his acceptance speech, Klaus Iohannis reiterated Romanias support for the European values, which gives legitimacy to the citizens desire to benefit from integration into the Schengen Area. He reminded that Romania fully meets the criteria for integration, managing the external borders with responsibility and efficiency. The foundation decided to award the prize based on the evaluation of the entire political career of the Romanian head of state.

Visit — King Charles III of Great Britain continues his private visit to Romania. On Saturday and Sunday, the British sovereign walked the streets of Valea Zălanului village in Covasna county (center), where he owns three houses. Dressed casually, the king was welcomed by the locals with flowers. He talked with the villagers and tourists who came especially to see him, and he also visited some picturesque places in the area. I love to come to Romania, said the monarch. Charles III was received, on Friday, at the Cotroceni Palace, by President Klaus Iohannis. It is the first visit that a British monarch pays to Romania, and also the first foreign trip of the sovereign since his coronation, which took place last month. As a Crown Prince, Charles visited Romania several times, the first time in 1998 and he declared himself an admirer of the country. He got involved in preserving the Romanian cultural heritage, buying and restoring old houses in the countryside, which he saved from destruction. In 2017, the Presidency granted him the National Order “Star of Romania” in the rank of Grand Cross.

Tennis — The Romanian tennis player Gabriela Ruse and Marta Kostyuk from Ukraine lost, on Sunday, in three sets, 7-6, 4-6, 2-6, the match in the round of 16 of the womens doubles in the Grand Slam tournament at Roland Garros, against Jessica Pegula and CoCo Gauff, both from the USA. Ruse and Kostyuk were seeded 13th at Roland Garros, one of the most important international tennis tournaments.

Turkey – The Romanian Foreign Minister, Bogdan Aurescu, congratulated Recep Tayyip Erdogan, on behalf of Romania, for his reconfirmation as President of Turkey and wished him success in fulfilling his new mandate, during the investiture ceremony that took place on Saturday. The event was attended by heads of state and government, ministers of foreign affairs, as well as representatives of the diplomatic corps accredited to Ankara, among whom the NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg. He is in Turkey also for discussions aimed at solving the objections of the Ankara administration regarding the ratification of Swedens request for NATO membership. According to the Romanian Foreign Ministry, the Romanian officials participation in the ceremony reflects Romanias desire to strengthen the bilateral Strategic Partnership, based on consistent political dialogue and close cooperation in a wide range of sectoral fields. For Romania, Turkey is the second commercial partner outside the EU and the first destination of Romanian exports outside the Union, last year the volume of exchanges registering almost 9.6 billion dollars. Recep Tayyip Erdogan took oath as president for the third time. On May 28, in the second round of voting, he defeated the candidate of the united opposition, Kemal Kilicdaroglu. The Turkish leader dominated the countrys politics for 20 years, first as prime minister, then as president, but critics accuse him of authoritarianism and mismanagement of the economy. (LS)

4 June 2023
June 4, 2023

Visit — King Charles III of Great Britain continues his private visit to Romania. On Saturday, the British sovereign walked the streets of Valea Zălanului village in Covasna county (center), where he owns three houses. Dressed casually, the king was welcomed by the locals with flowers. He talked with the villagers and tourists who came especially to see him, and he also visited some picturesque places in the area. I love to come to Romania, said the monarch. Charles III was received, on Friday, at the Cotroceni Palace, by President Klaus Iohannis. It is the first visit that a British monarch pays to Romania, and also the first foreign trip of the sovereign since his coronation, which took place last month. As a Crown Prince, Charles visited Romania several times, the first time in 1998 and he declared himself an admirer of the country. He got involved in preserving the Romanian cultural heritage, buying and restoring old houses in the countryside, which he saved from destruction. In 2017, the Presidency granted him the National Order “Star of Romania” in the rank of Grand Cross.

Prize — Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis receives Sunday in Frankfurt am Main, the Franz Werfel prize for human rights, granted by the Center against Expulsions. Romania’s Presidential Administration specifies that the decision to grant this award represents the recognition of his activity in the field of promoting human rights and good coexistence between ethnic groups, throughout his political career. On Saturday, Romania’s president received the German Civic Award, offered by the Bad Harzburg Civic Foundation, in Dusseldorf (Germany). In the thank-you speech delivered in German, the Romanian head of state recalled the efforts made by Romania to contribute to securing the EU borders. Klaus Iohannis reiterated Romanias support for the European values, which gives legitimacy to the citizens desire to benefit from integration into the Schengen Area. He reminded that Romania fully meets the criteria for integration into the Schengen Area, managing the external borders with responsibility and efficiency. The foundation decided to award the prize based on the evaluation of the entire political career of the Romanian head of state, emphasizing the support for the harmonious coexistence of different ethnicities, the commitment to freedom, democracy and pluralism, the restoration and modernization of his hometown Sibiu (the center of Romania), the support for the anti-corruption fight and attachment to the idea of a united Europe.

Pentecost — The majority Romanian Orthodox Christians and the Greek Catholics celebrate, Sunday, the Pentecost or the Descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles, an event that marks the foundation of the Christian Church. According to the New Testament, the 12 Apostles, gathered in a house, received the Holy Spirit, who gave them the power to preach in languages they had never spoken before. Following the sermon of the Apostle Peter, 3,000 people were baptized and formed the first Christian community. In churches, believers receive blessed walnut leaves, symbols of the flames that appeared above the heads of the Apostles, at the time of the Descent of the Holy Spirit. On the other hand, during the Pentecost mini-holiday, tens of thousands of tourists are in the resorts on the Prahova Valley (south) or on the Black Sea Coast (southeast). Many Romanians chose to spend their free time outside the country, especially in Bulgaria and Greece.

Tennis — The Romanian tennis player Gabriela Ruse and Marta Kostiuk from Ukraine are playing, today, in the round of 16 of the womens doubles in the Grand Slam tournament at Roland Garros, against Jessica Pegula and CoCo Gauff, both from the USA. Ruse and Kostiuk qualified, on Saturday, after, in the second round of the Parisian competition on clay court, they defeated the pair made up of the Belgian Kirsten Flipkens and the American Shelby Rogers, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3. Ruse and Kostyuk are seeded 13th at Roland Garros, one of the most important international tennis tournaments.

Turkey – The Romanian Foreign Minister, Bogdan Aurescu, congratulated Recep Tayyip Erdogan, on behalf of Romania, for his reconfirmation as President of Turkey and wished him success in fulfilling his new mandate, during the investiture ceremony that took place on Saturday. The event was attended by heads of state and government, ministers of foreign affairs, as well as representatives of the diplomatic corps accredited to Ankara, among whom the NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg. He is in Turkey also for discussions aimed at solving the objections of the Ankara administration regarding the ratification of Swedens request for NATO membership. According to the Romanian Foreign Ministry, the Romanian officials participation in the ceremony reflects Romanias desire to strengthen the bilateral Strategic Partnership, based on consistent political dialogue and close cooperation in a wide range of sectoral fields. For Romania, Turkey is the second commercial partner outside the EU and the first destination of Romanian exports outside the Union, last year the volume of exchanges registering almost 9.6 billion dollars. Recep Tayyip Erdogan took oath as president for the third time. On May 28, in the second round of voting, he defeated the candidate of the united opposition, Kemal Kilicdaroglu. The Turkish leader dominated the countrys politics for 20 years, first as prime minister, then as president, but critics accuse him of authoritarianism and mismanagement of the economy. (LS)

4 June 2023
June 3, 2023 UPDATE

Visit – King Charles III of Great Britain is in Romania, on his first trip abroad since the coronation that took place less than a month ago. His five-day visit is private, and the meeting he had with President Klaus Iohannis on Friday was a gesture of courtesy. After the meeting with the head of the Romanian state, the British sovereign confessed that he always felt at home in Romania, which he called, in Romanian, “land of glory, land of longing”, quoting from the poem of Romania’s national poet Mihai Eminescu “What I wish for you, sweet Romania!. President Klaus Iohannis thanked the British sovereign for his involvement in protecting values related to the national identity and emphasized that the Charitable Foundation of King Charles III opened the possibility of rediscovering the Romanian village. It is the first time that a British monarch visits Romania. On Friday evening, the king arrived at his residence in the village of Valea Zălanului (central Romania), where he will spend a few days of vacation. As a Crown Prince, Charles visited Romania several times, the first time in 1998 and declared himself an admirer of the country. He got involved in preserving the Romanian cultural heritage, buying and restoring old houses in the countryside, which he saved from destruction. In 2017, the Presidency granted him the National Order “Star of Romania” in the rank of Grand Cross.

Turkey — The Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu participated on Saturday, in Ankara, in the investiture ceremony of the President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who was re-elected on May 28 this year. The NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, was among the officials attending the event. According to a NATO press release, Jens Stoltenberg will try, during the two days he will stay in Ankara, to convince Recep Tayyip Erdogan to stop opposing Swedens accession to NATO. Ankara has not yet ratified this countrys entry into the Alliance in its Parliament, so only Finland was accepted in the spring. Turkeys claims concern Swedens treatment of entities or persons considered by Ankara to be terrorists. On June 1, however, a new legislation regarding the fight against terrorism entered into force in Sweden, and it includes the elements requested by Turkey. The Hungarian Parliament has not ratified Swedens accession either, but the political world is sure that Budapests ratification will come immediately after Ankaras decision.

Award — Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis received, on Saturday, the German Civic Award, granted by the Bad Harzburg Civic Foundation, in Dusseldorf, Germany. In the thank-you speech delivered in German, Klaus Iohannis recalled the efforts made by Romania to contribute to securing the EU borders. Klaus Iohannis reiterated Romanias support for the European values, which gives legitimacy to the citizens desire to benefit from integration into the Schengen Area. He reminded that Romania fully meets the criteria for integration, managing the external borders with responsibility and efficiency. The foundation decided to award the prize based on the evaluation of the entire political career of the Romanian president, emphasizing the support of the harmonious coexistence of different ethnicities, the commitment to freedom, democracy and pluralism, the restoration and modernization of his hometown Sibiu (the center of Romania), the support for the anti-corruption fight and the attachment to the idea of a united Europe. On Sunday, Klaus Iohannis will receive, in Frankfurt am Main, the Franz Werfel prize for human rights, offered by the Center against Expulsions. The granting of this award represents the recognition of his activity in the field of promoting human rights and good coexistence between ethnic groups, throughout his political career.

Timisoara — This years edition of the Romanian Chamber Orchestra Tour began on Saturday, in Timișoara, the European Capital of Culture 2023. Now in its fifth edition, the current tour has the most extensive formula so far – over 50 musicians performing on the worlds great stages will reunite under the baton of Timișoara-born conductor Cristian Măcelaru. “It is a project in which we bring as many Romanians from outside Romania as possible, who want to return and contribute to the cultural life in Romania. Because in all the orchestras in Europe and in America there are Romanians of extraordinary quality, and this orchestra – the Romanian Chamber Orchestra – that was formed is, indeed, a dear project and every time the tour was held in Timişoara. That was my wish”, said the conductor Cristian Măcelaru. Tonights concert program includes works by Mozart, Schubert and Ligeti, the soloist being the clarinetist Carlos Ferreira.

Agriculture — In the last year, Romania was the second largest exporter of wheat to the EU, after France, being followed by Germany and Poland. Eurostat data shows that from July 1, 2022, Romania exported almost 4 million tons of wheat, but European data also shows an increase of over 200% in EU wheat imports. Spain is the largest European importer of wheat, more than 3 million tons, followed by Romania with over 890,000 tons. Data centralized by Eurostat also show that in the last year Romania exported more than half of the total amount of corn sold for export by the EU – 1.64 tons out of a total of almost 3 million tons. According to the provisional data announced by the National Institute of Statistics in Bucharest, Romania, which is the largest exporter of corn in the Union, obtained a grain corn production of 8.2 million tons last year, while in 2021 the harvest of grain corn was almost 15 million tons.

Accident – The death toll of the three-train crash in eastern India is hundreds of dead, and the authorities say that the number of victims will increase. Hundreds more people are injured in the worst train accident in India this century. Two passenger trains collided, and a goods train stationed in the area was also involved in the accident. India has seen many railway accidents over time, but safety on the railways has improved significantly in recent years due to massive new investments and technological upgrades.

Paris – The Romanian tennis player Gabriela Ruse qualified, on Saturday, to the round of 16 of the womens doubles in the Grand Slam tournament at Roland Garros, in which she pairs with the Ukrainian Marta Kostiuk. In the second round of the Parisian competition on clay court, the two defeated, in three sets, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, the pair made up of the Belgian Kirsten Flipkens and the American Shelby Rogers. In the round of 16, Gabriela Ruse and Marta Kostiuk will face the winners of the match between Victoria Azarenka (Belarus)/Beatriz Haddad Maia (Brazil) and 2nd seeds CoCo Gauff/Jessica Pegula (USA). (LS)

3 June 2023
June 3, 2023

Visit – King Charles III of Great Britain is in Romania, on his first trip abroad since the coronation that took place less than a month ago. His five-day visit is private, and the meeting he had with President Klaus Iohannis on Friday was a gesture of courtesy. After the meeting with the head of the Romanian state, the British sovereign confessed that he always felt at home in Romania, which he called, in Romanian, “land of glory, land of longing”, quoting from the poem of Romania’s national poet Mihai Eminescu “What I wish for you, sweet Romania!. President Klaus Iohannis thanked the British sovereign for his involvement in protecting values related to the national identity and emphasized that the Charitable Foundation of King Charles III opened the possibility of rediscovering the Romanian village. It is the first time that a British monarch visits Romania. On Friday evening, the king arrived at his residence in the village of Valea Zălanului (central Romania), where he will spend a few days of vacation. As a Crown Prince, Charles visited Romania several times, the first time in 1998 and declared himself an admirer of the country. He got involved in preserving the Romanian cultural heritage, buying and restoring old houses in the countryside, which he saved from destruction. In 2017, the Presidency granted him the National Order “Star of Romania” in the rank of Grand Cross.

Turkey — The Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu is participating, today, in Ankara, in the investiture ceremony of the President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who was re-elected on May 28 this year. The NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, is among the officials attending the event. According to a NATO press release, Jens Stoltenberg will try, during the two days he will stay in Ankara, to convince Recep Tayyip Erdogan to stop opposing Swedens accession to NATO. Ankara has not yet ratified this countrys entry into the Alliance in its Parliament, so only Finland was accepted in the spring. Turkeys claims concern Swedens treatment of entities or persons considered by Ankara to be terrorists. On June 1, however, a new legislation regarding the fight against terrorism entered into force in Sweden, and it includes the elements requested by Turkey. The Hungarian Parliament has not ratified Swedens accession either, but the political world is sure that Budapests ratification will come immediately after Ankaras decision.

Prize — Today, President Klaus Iohannis receives the German Civic Award, granted by the Bad Harzburg Civic Foundation, as part of a ceremony that will take place in Dusseldorf, Germany. The foundation decided to award the prize based on the evaluation of the entire political career of the Romanian head of state, emphasizing the support for the harmonious coexistence of different ethnicities, the commitment to freedom, democracy and pluralism, the revamping and modernization of his hometown Sibiu (the center of Romania), the support of the anti-corruption fight and the attachment to the idea of a united Europe. On Sunday, President Klaus Iohannis will receive, in Frankfurt on Main, the Franz Werfel prize for human rights, granted by the Center against Expulsions. The Romanian Presidential Administration specifies that the decision to grant this award represents the recognition of his activity in the field of promoting human rights and good coexistence between ethnic groups, throughout his political career.

Timisoara — This years edition of the Romanian Chamber Orchestra Tour begins today, in Timișoara, the European Capital of Culture 2023. Now in its fifth edition, the current tour has the most extensive formula so far – over 50 musicians performing on the worlds great stages will reunite under the baton of Timișoara-born conductor Cristian Măcelaru. “It is a project in which we bring as many Romanians from outside Romania as possible, who want to return and contribute to the cultural life in Romania. Because in all the orchestras in Europe and in America there are Romanians of extraordinary quality, and this orchestra – the Romanian Chamber Orchestra – that was formed is, indeed, a dear project and every time the tour was held in Timişoara. That was my wish”, said the conductor Cristian Măcelaru. Tonights concert program includes works by Mozart, Schubert and Ligeti, the soloist being the clarinetist Carlos Ferreira.

Agriculture — In the last year, Romania was the second largest exporter of wheat to the EU, after France, being followed by Germany and Poland. Eurostat data shows that from July 1, 2022, Romania exported almost 4 million tons of wheat, but European data also shows an increase of over 200% in EU wheat imports. Spain is the largest European importer of wheat, more than 3 million tons, followed by Romania with over 890,000 tons. Data centralized by Eurostat also show that in the last year Romania exported more than half of the total amount of corn sold for export by the EU – 1.64 tons out of a total of almost 3 million tons. According to the provisional data announced by the National Institute of Statistics in Bucharest, Romania, which is the largest exporter of corn in the Union, obtained a grain corn production of 8.2 million tons last year, while in 2021 the harvest of grain corn was almost 15 million tons.

Accident – The death toll of the three-train crash in eastern India is hundreds of dead, and the authorities say that the number of victims will increase. Hundreds more people are injured in the worst train accident in India this century. Two passenger trains collided, and a goods train stationed in the area was also involved in the accident. India has seen many railway accidents over time, but safety on the railways has improved significantly in recent years due to massive new investments and technological upgrades. (LS)

3 June 2023
September 13, 2022 UPDATE

Funeral. The President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, signed, on Tuesday, the book of condolences opened at the UK Embassy in Bucharest. The head of the Romanian state will participate in the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. The Custodian of the Crown of Romania, HRH Margareta, and Prince Consort Radu will also attend the funeral service which will be held at Westminster Abbey in London, on September 19th, Buckingham Palace announced on Saturday. The day will be a bank holiday in Britain, as the new monarch, Charles III, authorized on Saturday in one of his first orders. World leaders, including the president of the United States, Joe Biden, and representatives of the royal houses are expected to attend the funeral of Elizabeth II, who died on Thursday at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, at the age of 96. Meanwhile, the new king – Charles III – continues his tour around the kingdom with visits to each of the four nations that make up the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Forum. Romania and the Republic of Moldova plan to intensify joint efforts to mitigate the negative effects of the current context generated by the war in Ukraine, the energy crisis, the lack of material and human resources, the disruptions in the functioning of international trade chains and galloping inflation worldwide. The statement was made, in Bucharest, by the Prime Minister of Romania, Nicolae Ciucă, during the forum “Moldova – Romania: Capital Bridges” – the first high-level forum dedicated to the promotion of the capital markets on the two banks of the Prut. Romania will continue its support, including the technical and financial assistance program, based on the non-reimbursable aid of 100,000,000 euros made available to the Republic of Moldova, assured the Prime Minister, in the context of the visit to Bucharest of his counterpart from Chisinau, Natalia Gavriliţa. Nicolae Ciucă also said that Bucharest wants to contribute, in the future, to the implementation of projects that can help Chisinau join the European Union family more quickly.

Visit. Romanian Defense Minister Vasile Dincu is paying a formal visit to Israel until Friday. According to a communiqué issued by the Defense Ministry, the Ministers agenda includes talks with his Israeli counterpart, formal ceremonies at the Yad Vashem memorial, the Holocaust Museum and the Childrens Memorial as well as visits to companies in the defense industry. The two ministers will be tackling topical issues such as security in the Middle East and the Black Sea, as well as the stage and prospects of bilateral cooperation in the field of defense.

Pope. On Tuesday, on the first day of his apostolic journey to Kazakhstan, Pope Francis urged dialogue and multilateralism in the face of Russias “senseless and tragic war” in Ukraine. “I have come here as a pilgrim of peace, seeking dialogue and unity. Our world urgently needs peace: it needs to recover harmony”, Pope Francis said from the stage of the Qazaq Concert Hall in capital Nur-Sultan. Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill, who supports the war in Ukraine, was expected to attend the Seventh Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions, held in Kazakhstan, and Pope Francis had stated, several times, that he was willing to talk to him. The two met in 2016 in Cuba, the first meeting between a pope and a Russian Orthodox patriarch. At the meeting in Nur-Sultan, 100 delegates from 50 countries are present.

Research. Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă had, on Tuesday, in Bucharest, a meeting with the delegation of the Lockheed Martin company, led by the vice-president for international affairs, Ray Piselli. At the meeting, it was announced the launch in Romania of the American companys investment in AI R&D. According to a Government release, the results of the research, which will be carried out in the framework of the collaboration between Lockheed Martin and the Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, will be applied in the field of national security and environmental sciences. The Prime Minister welcomed the decision of the global aerospace and security company to start research and development activities in Romania, appreciating that it is a new proof of the strengthening of the Romania-USA Strategic Partnership. “The government supports investments, and the economic component comes to strengthen our partnership in the military field”, Nicolae Ciuca also said.

Tennis. Romanian tennis player Ana Bogdan (65 WTA) qualified, on Tuesday, for the second round of the WTA 250 tournament in Portoroz, Slovenia, with over 200 thousand euros in prize money. In the first round, she defeated the Australian player Ajla Tomljanovich. Also on Tuesday, the Romanian player Gabriela Ruse (96 WTA) was defeated by the Ukrainian Lesia Ţurenko (92 WTA), 6-1, 4-6, 6-4, in the first round of the tournament. Ruse and Bogdan will be partners in the doubles event. (MI)

13 September 2022
September 12, 2022

GRAIN EXPORTS – France’s Transport
Minister, Clement Beaune, has today announced the signing of an agreement with
Romanian authorities designed to boost the export of grain from Ukraine to
developing countries, particularly in the Mediterranean. According to Reuters,
France is expected to help enhance the efficiency of the port of Galați, modernize
border crossing points in northern Romania, max out the effective use of grain
silos in the port of Constanța and boost the operability of this port and on
the Sulina Canal. Ukraine’s Agriculture Minister has recently estimated his
country’s grain exports could go up to 6.5 tons in October, which is double the
volume reported in July after the gradual opening of Ukrainian ports in the
Black Sea, based on the agreement signed in Istanbul. Russia’s president,
Vladimir Putin, has recently criticized the fact that only a small part of
Ukrainian grain will be exported to poor countries based on this agreement,
accounting for 2 of the 87 cargo ships that transported as much as 60 thousand
tons of grain. However, analysts with the British Defense Ministry have
disproved Putin’s statement, citing data centralized by the UN, according to
which approximately 30% of Ukraine’s grain exports have reached low- and
middle-income countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia.

SESSION – The European Parliament
starts a new session today in Strasbourg. European Commission president, Ursula
von der Leyen, will deliver her state of the union address, presenting the
impact of the Commission’s activity in the last year and future plans for the
community bloc, particularly those related to solidarity with Ukraine,
sanctions against Russia, energy security and curbing the EU’s reliance on
Russian fossil fuel, as well as the latest energy price hikes. President Von
der Leyen will also address the Green Deal and green transition, digitization,
the EU’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and preparing for future pandemics,
as well as the Next Generation EU recovery plan.

ENERGY – The European Commission is
this week expected to present the set of proposals agreed upon in Friday’s
meeting of EU Energy Ministers, designed to combat the energy crisis. The
package might include a cap on energy prices and taxing the excess profits of
fossil fuel companies and redistributing the revenues to state-aid schemes.
Romania’s Energy Minister, Virgil Popescu, says Romania supports a balanced
approach towards all Member States. Capping natural gas prices at community
level would significantly curb volatility on the EU energy market, the Romanian
official said.

KING CHARLES – King Charles III this
morning appeared in the British Parliament, where the House of Commons and the
House of Lords met in a joint sitting to present condolences to the new
monarch. The King is today expected to attend a sitting of Scottish Parliament
as well. The coffin of her Royal Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was in Edinburgh
yesterday, and today it will be moved to from Throne Room in Holyroodhouse
Palace, the official residence of the royal family in the Scottish
capital-city, to Saint John’s Cathedral, as part of somber journey through the
Scottish countryside. Attending will be the new king and other members of the
royal family. The coffin will remain at Saint John’s until tomorrow, allowing
locals to pay their last respects. Tomorrow, the coffin will arrive at Buckingham
Palace in London. The state funeral will take place on September 19 at
Westminster Abbey. Meanwhile, people from all across Britain continue to lay
floral tributes at the residences of the royal family from all across the
country.

INFLATION – Romania’s annual inflation
rate went up to 15.32% in August from 14.96% in July. According to data
published by the National Statistics Institute on Monday, foodstuffs prices
went up by 18.22%, while those for non-food products also went up by 15.98%.
Prices for services increased by 8.26%. The Central Bank has increased its inflation
forecast for 2022 to 13.9%, estimating an inflation rate of 7.5% for 2023. The
Central Bank expects the deflation trend to temporarily stop in the second
quarter of 2023, once the current state-aid schemes targeting the energy sector
end. The Central Bank expects an inflation rate of 2.3% for June 2024. (VP)

12 September 2022