Radio România Internațional

Tag: missile defence

  • February 18, 2017 UPDATE

    February 18, 2017 UPDATE

    DIPLOMACY – The Romanian Foreign Minister, Teodor Meleşcanu, is taking part until Sunday in the 53rd Munich Security Conference. He will present Romanias stand on the European and global security situation and will emphasise the importance of the trans-Atlantic relations and of the role of NATO and the EU in the current international context. On Friday, on the side-lines of the Conference, the Romanian official had talks with his French counterpart, Jean-Marc Ayrault, who invited him to Paris in the forthcoming period, an invitation accepted by Melescanu. The Romanian FM also had a meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart, Pavlo Klimkim, with whom he discussed regional developments. The Munich Security Conference is a prestigious security forum, which traditionally brings together leaders and decision-makers in the field of security and defence from around the world.



    MUNICH SECURITY CONFERENCE – The Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel, Saturday called on the world powers, including the US, not to abandon international cooperation against the new challenges to global security. Addressing the Munich Security Conference, Merkel emphasised that multi-national organisations like the EU, NATO and the UN provided a vital framework for addressing the refugee crisis and Islamist terrorism. The German Chancellor also said the European Unions relations with Russia remained challenging, but that cooperation with Moscow was still important in the fight against Islamist terrorism. Attending the Conference, the US Vice-President, Mike Pence, pointed out, in the first major foreign policy statement of the new American Administration, that Washington would support NATO and stand by Europe, even as it looked for new ways to cooperate with Russia. Also in Munich, the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, said the UN needs a fundamental reform if it is to efficiently cope with the new global challenges, such as international terrorism, wars and other armed conflicts.



    BUSINESS – The government is the main promotion element for Romania, because American investors look at taxes, stability, predictability and efficiency, and the competition between the countries in the region is tough, said Eric Stewart, head of the American-Romanian Business Council (AMRO). In an interview to the Romanian news agency Agerpres, Stewart said there are investment opportunities in Romania for the American companies in fields like defence, energy, agriculture and healthcare, considering that we will see a shift in focus of the Trump administration towards Europe. He announced that the American-Romanian Business Council would organise an economic mission in Romania in late March, in which 10-12 major American companies will take part, some of them already present in the Romanian market.



    FAIR – The 26th World Education Fair opened in Bucharest on Saturday. The event offers the young Romanians willing to study abroad offers from over 100 institutions from countries like the USA, Britain, Germany, Italy, Spain, France, Denmark and China. The Bucharest session, which comes to an end on Sunday, will be followed by one in Craiova on February 21, and another one in Constanta on February 23.



    AIRPORTS – Romania tops the rankings of the European airports with the quickest increase in passenger flows in 2016, according to a report of the Airports Council International (ACI Europe). The first places are held by the airports in Oradea (with an increase of nearly 500% in passenger numbers compared to 2015) and Iasi (with more than 130%). Third comes the “Aurel Vlaicu International Airport, the second-largest airport in Bucharest, with 122% more passengers than in 2015. Airports Council International Europe is an association representing more than 500 airports in 45 countries.



    ROMANIA-US RELATIONS – The USA appreciates the strategic partnership with Romania and pays increasing attention to the security developments at the Black Sea, says the chair of the Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee in the US House of Representatives, the Republican Rob Wittman. In a meeting in Washington with the Romanian Ambassador George Maior, the US Congressman appreciated Bucharests commitment to trans-Atlantic security, including its hosting of the ballistic missile defence facility at the Deveselu Base. Rob Wittman added that Washington firmly supported the continuation of the European Reassurance Initiative and a relevant rotating presence of American troops on NATOs eastern flank.




    RUGBY – The Romanian national team defeated Spain in Bucharest on Saturday, 13-3, in the second stage of Rugby Europe Championship (REC). Romania lost its first match, against Germany, away from home, 41-38. In the next 2 games, Romania will be facing Russia on March 4 in Sotch, and Belgium on March 11, in Brussels. Romania will play the last match in this stage against Georgia, on March 19, in Bucharest.



    TENNIS – The Romanian Horia Tecău and the Dutch Jean-Julien Rojer Saturday failed to qualify to the doubles finals of the Rotterdam tennis tournament, which has over 1.7 million euros in total prize money. The two lost the semi-finals to the Dutch pair made up of Wesley Koolhof and Matwe Middelkoop. Tecău and Rojer had won the Rotterdam tournament in 2015.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • May 31, 2016

    May 31, 2016

    Anti-missile shield – The President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, says the recent statements made by Moscow are inaccurate, and emphasises that the anti-missile platform in Deveselu does not target Russia. Such ungrounded threats reconfirm that Romanias approach, namely to strengthen NATO security in response to Moscows stance in the Black Sea region, is the right one, Iohannis said in Bucharest today, upon opening the Black Sea Security Programme. On Saturday, the Romanian Foreign Ministry expressed its surprise with the statements of the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, who said Romania might be in the sight of Russian rockets because it hosts elements of the American missile defence system. These statements, said the Foreign Ministry, may be read as a threat to regional security.



    Corruption – The President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, has today sent to the Justice Minister a request to prosecute four ministers accused of establishing an organised criminal group. They are Mihai Tanasescu, Sebastian Vladescu, Gheorghe Pogea, former finance ministers, and Dan Ioan Popescu, former Economy and Commerce Minister. According to prosecutors, there are indications and data that the four committed offences like abuse of office, aiding embezzlement and establishment of an organised criminal group. They are suspected of having colluded with several business people to promote an emergency ordinance under which the 2003 public budget debts of Rompetrol Rafinare, amounting to more than 600 million USD, were converted into bonds underwritten by the Finance Ministry.



    Justice – The Romanian Justice Minister, Raluca Prună, says the rate of recovering damages in the criminal cases where a final sentence has been passed is only 8%. She also says that recovering the proceeds of crime remains a priority, although for the time being it is a chapter that she describes as “defective. Minister Prună explained that the Justice Ministry, the Ministry for Public Finances and the National Tax Administration Agency (ANAF), with its specialised directorate, are working together to improve the damage recovery rate.



    OLAF – Nearly one billion USD worth of EU funds were paid last year to fraudulent applicants, with the highest frequency of suspected fraud cases reported for Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary, reads the 2015 report of the European Anti-Fraud Office released today and quoted by Reuters. Last year, 187 million euro were recovered through judicial proceedings and returned to Brussels, which is 10% less than in 2014. OLAF has the authority to investigate corruption cases, but it cannot take the perpetrators to court.



    NATO – The NATO Parliamentary Assembly Monday called on the Allies, at the end of a three-day session in Tirana, to be prepared to respond to Russias potential threat against one of its members, France-Presse reports. The declaration, signed unanimously by the nearly 250 representatives of the 28 NATO member states, urges the Alliance to provide guarantees to its members, particularly those on the eastern flank, Romania included, that feel their security comes under threat. NATO strengthened its eastern flank further to Russias annexation of Crimea and to its support for the separatists in east Ukraine.



    Diplomacy – The Romanian Foreign Minister, Lazar Comanescu, is taking part today, in Pravetz, near Sofia, in a meeting of the 12 foreign ministers of the South-East European Cooperation Process, at the end of the one-year Bulgarian presidency of the structure. According to the Bulgarian presidency, the participants will discuss the current challenges facing South-Eastern Europe and joint actions for the future development of the region. The meeting takes place one day ahead of the Summit of the South-East European Cooperation Process due on Wednesday in Sofia, where Romania will be represented by PM Dacian Ciolos. In 2016 the initiative, aimed at promoting dialogue and regional cooperation in various fields, celebrates 20 years since its launch at Bulgarias initiative.



    Roland Garros – The Romanian player Simona Halep (seed no. 6) and the Australian Samantha Stosur (seeded 21) are to resume today their game in the eighth-finals of the Roland Garros Grand Slam, which was suspended on Sunday because of the weather. Originally rescheduled for Monday, the game, suspended at 5–3 for Halep, could not be resumed yesterday, because of the rain. In the mens doubles, Florin Mergea of Romania and the Indian Rohan Bopanna Sunday won the match against Brian Baker/Marcus Daniell (US/New Zealand), in the eighth-finals of the same tournament.

  • May 28, 2016

    May 28, 2016

    The President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, warned that Romania and Poland might be within the range of Russian missiles, in the context of their hosting elements of the American missile defence system, seen as a threat to Moscow, Reuters reports. Putin reiterated the warning concerning the anti-missile system in Romania, claiming that although Moscow had repeatedly said it would retaliate, Washington and its allies ignored the warnings. This month the American anti-missile system in Deveselu, southern Romania, became operational, and a similar operation is due in Poland. NATOs plans to place components of its missile defence system in Romania and Poland has generated tensions with Russia from the very beginning. Moscow views the military system as targeting its territory, although the Alliance has repeatedly explained it targeted the forces of countries like Iran and North Korea. The Deveselu military base is 180 km from Bucharest, and the shield is activated upon identification of hostile missiles by its fixed or mobile radars.



    The Romanian Cultural Institute, the “Eudoxiu Hurmuzachi Institute and the Romanian Foreign Ministrys Department for Policies concerning the Romanians abroad are this year putting together a joint programme to celebrate the Day of the Romanian diaspora. The events, which take place today and tomorrow in Bucharest, bring together representatives of Romanian communities in the Balkan region as well as notable personalities that promote Romanias image. The programme includes a conference on the national identity abroad and the role of Romanian education. A fair will also be organized to showcase the traditions of the Romanian communities, and folk ensembles from Ukraine, Serbia, the Republic of Moldova and Romania will stage music and dance shows. The day of Romanians living abroad will also be celebrated in Cernauti, through 2 folklore performances, and in Madrid, which will host a Romanian traditional music concert.



    The EU has extended by another year the sanctions against Syrias Bashar al Assad regime, until July 1, 2017. The measures include, among others, an oil embargo, investment restrictions, the freezing of the assets of the Syrian central bank in the EU, restrictions on technology and equipment exports that might be used for domestic repression. Also, some transactions, through which Bashar al Assads forces may intercept the opposition members calls and electronic communications are blocked. More than 200 individuals and 70 companies and institutions are subject to travel bans and account freeze measures, in response to the violent repression of civilians in Syria. Brussels also maintains its commitment to identifying a long-term solution for the Syrian conflict, and intends to help organize new peace talks between the parties.




    Nearly 3,000 people attended on Friday in Cluj-Napoca the opening gala of the Transylvania International Film Festival, held in the citys central square. Todays agenda includes special events organized both in the city and at the Banffy Castle in the village of Bonţida, dubbed the Transylvania Versailles. The public will be able to watch some of the best Lithuanian productions, while at the Students Cultural Centre the Romanian astronaut Dumitru Prunariu will talk to those interested in films on that topic. Until June 5, more than 248 films will be screened, of which 216 feature films and 32 shorts. This years festival will include the Romanian premiere of Dogs, the winner of the Critics Award in Cannes. The special guest of the current edition of TIFF is actress Sophia Loren, who travels to Romania for the first time, to pick up a lifetime achievement award.



    Two Romanian players have qualified for the eighth-finals of the Roland Garros tournament, the second Grand Slam of the year. Simona Halep, no 6 in the world, will take on the Australian Samantha Stosur (24 WTA), while Irina Begu (28 WTA) will be competing against the American Shelby Rogers (108 WTA) for a place in the quarter-finals. Halep and Stosur have so far played 7 times against each other, with the Romanian player winning four times. For Irina Begu on the other hand, this is the first eighth-final qualification, and she has never played against Rogers before. In the mens doubles, the Romanian/Indian pair Florin Mergea and Rohan Bopanna have also reached the eighth-final stage.