Radio România Internațional

Tag: Morocco

  • September 11, 2023

    September 11, 2023

    School — The Romanian President Klaus Iohannis announced that the issue of drug consumption among young people will be included on the agenda of the next meeting of the country’s Supreme Council of National Defense. Attending today the opening of the new pre-university year at a school in Bucharest, he has emphasized that this phenomenon represents a serious challenge to national security. Klaus Iohannis has also said that he continues to support the increase in teachers salaries as of January 1, 2024. He has given assurances that he remains firm and will support all measures to make the commitments made by the Government this summer come true. The new school year started, today, in Romania, for approximately 3 million pupils and preschoolers. It will have 36 weeks of courses, and it is organized in five modules, just like the previous one. “The Green Week” and “Doing School Differently” will take place between September 11, 2023 – April 26, 2024 and can be set by schools in any of modules 1, 2, 3 or 4, in intervals of 5 consecutive working days. The school year will end on June 21, 2024. The pupils entering the 5th grade will be the first to take an additional high school entrance exam in the summer of 2027.



    Drone — The Romanian Defense Ministry announced that the presence of drone fragments in a different area than those investigated previously was not confirmed. The armed forces remain on alert and will continue investigations in the areas of the national territory located in the vicinity of the areas where the Russians are carrying out attacks on the Ukrainian port infrastructure on the Danube, the Defense Ministry announced on Sunday. According to the quoted source, in the last 48 hours, forces and equipment of the Naval Forces, the Land Forces and other structures acted with research teams in the field and with aerial surveillance devices on an area of ​​more than 80 square kilometers in three localities of Tulcea and Galati counties, on the Romanian bank of the Danube, near the port of Reni in Ukraine. On the other hand, the Defense Ministry strongly condemns the attacks carried out by the Russian Federation against some objectives and elements of civil infrastructure in the Ukrainian ports on the Danube. These attacks are unjustified and in serious violation of the rules of international humanitarian law, being war crimes, the Defense Ministry emphasizes. Previously, the chargé daffaires of the Russian Federation Embassy in Bucharest was urgently summoned to the Foreign Ministry where he was informed that Romania protests the violation of Romanias airspace. NATO, through Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, expressed its solidarity with Romania. The official stated that there are no indications of Russia’s intention to attack NATO, but that the attacks are destabilizing.



    Volleyball — Today, the Romanian national team faces France, the defending Olympic champion, in the quarter-finals of the European Mens Volleyball Championship. The Romanians reached this stage after a dramatic victory over Croatia. Romania also met France in the groups stage, managing to defeat it surprisingly, score 3-1. The national volleyball team has not been among the top eight teams of the continent for 40 years, after finishing on 8th place in 1983. The European Championship takes place in Israel, Italy, Bulgaria and North Macedonia. The record of the Romanian players includes a European title, two silver and two bronze medals.



    Exercise — The Romanian and US Naval Forces are jointly organizing, as of Monday until Friday, September 15, a multinational exercise called Sea Breeze. It will take place in the area of ​​responsibility of the Romanian Naval Forces in the Black Sea and the Danube Delta and aims to develop teamwork between the participating countries in the field of combating explosive devices, especially sea mines, so that navigation can take place freely. Soldiers from Bulgaria, Turkey, Ukraine, France and the UK are also taking part in the exercise.



    Rowing – Romania won five medals, of which two gold, at the World Rowing Championships in Belgrade, and finished the competition on fourth place in the overall ranking. The gold was won by the womens double scull team and the women’s eight plus one. The Romanian rowers won one silver and two bronze medals. Also, 11 of the 13 Romanian crews that participated in the world championships in Serbia qualified for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.



    Earthquake – Rescue teams from Morocco, supported by colleagues abroad, continue to race against time to find survivors and provide aid to hundreds of people left homeless after Friday nights earthquake, which killed more than 2,100 people and wounded more than 2,400, according to the most recent official toll. Four countries received favorable answers to their aid offers: Great Britain, Spain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. The Romanian Foreign Ministry announced that, from the information it has, there are no Romanians among the victims of the earthquake in Morocco. (LS)

  • September 12, 2018 UPDATE

    September 12, 2018 UPDATE

    VISIT – The President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, Wednesday received in Bucharest the Dutch PM Mark Rutte. On this occasion Iohannis said Romanias relation with the Netherlands has an important economic component, but a social component as well, considering that roughly 30,000 Romanians live in that country. The Romanian President discussed with the Dutch official about the future of the EU and said that, although the 2 countries do not share the same opinion on some topics, both Romania and the Netherlands are working to strengthen the community bloc. Romanias Schengen accession, migration, Brexit and Romanias presidency of the EU Council in the first half of 2019 were also on the agenda of the talks.




    REFERENDUM – The Constitutional Court of Romania announced on Wednesday that on September 17th it would discuss a bill to revise the Constitution by introducing a provision that redefines “family as being based on the marriage of a man and a woman. The Senate of Romania, which is the decision-making body in this respect, Tuesday approved a bill on this topic. The president of the Social Democratic Party in power, Liviu Dragnea, who is also the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, has recently announced that the so-called “family referendum will take place on October 7th. Several NGOs, collectively known as the “Coalition for family, have gathered some 3 million signatures for the organisation of this referendum, which is designed to ensure that same-sex marriage cannot be legalised.




    AGRICULTURE – The European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development Phil Hogan will be on a visit to Romania on Thursday and Friday, the European Commission Representation in Romania announced on Wednesday. The European official will have talks with PM Viorica Dăncilă and with the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Petre Daea. Commissioner Hogan will also have meetings with farmer associations and will have a dialogue with the citizens of Cluj, entitled A modern budget for a stronger Union.



    DIPLOMACY – Morocco appreciates Romanias regional and international role and supports its candidacy in the Security Council, the Moroccan Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Nasser Bourita said in Bucharest on Wednesday. After a meeting with his Romanian counterpart Teodor Meleşcanu, the Moroccan official also pointed out that Bucharest would make a very useful contribution to maintaining peace and stability in regions close to Morocco, Africa and the Near East. In turn, Foreign Minister Teodor Meleşcanu reiterated Romanias support for Morocco during its rotating presidency of the EU Council in the first half of next year. The talks also tackled bilateral relations, given that Morocco is a major economic partner for Romania in Africa and the Arab world.





    EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT – The European Parliament, convened in Strasbourg, Wednesday criticised the erosion of democracy in Hungary and called on the European Commission to launch the disciplinary procedure known as Article 7. The MEPs endorsed a report comprising a list of concerns related to Hungarys crackdowns on migrants, the media, academic institutions, as well as to corruption and the independence of the judiciary. During Tuesdays debates in the EP plenary session, the Hungarian PM Viktor Orban said the report used double standards, was an abuse of power and its endorsement was in breach of the EU treaties. Should Article 7 be triggered, Hungary is facing sanctions going as far as suspending the countrys voting rights in the EU Council.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • May 4, 2018 UPDATE

    May 4, 2018 UPDATE

    MEETING Romanian president Klaus Iohannis on Friday participated in the informal meeting of heads of state from Bulgaria, Austria and Romania held in the Bulgarian city of Ruse. The three countries are successively holding the presidency of the EU Council this year and in the first semester of 2019. Talks focused on the present European agenda and were aimed at facilitating the best coordination and cooperation during the three EU Council presidencies. Romania will take over the EU presidency in the first semester of 2019. Also on Friday, President Iohannis participated with his Bulgarian and Austrian counterparts, Rumen Radev and Alexander Van der Bellen respectively in a conference on the ‘Sustainable Development of the Danube Region and Regional Interconnection. Iohannis pointed out that the EU must become stronger and that differences in the economic development of its regions must be constantly reduced. The history of the EU development has shown that ‘our strength resides in unity, solidarity, cohesion and a future vision, ambitious and innovative. These guiding principles and values are at the foundation of the European project. Romania believes they must remain the foundation of its future development for our common benefit, the Romanian official went on to say, adding that ‘the EU remains an indispensable project.




    SYMBOL Romanias president Klaus Iohannis has described professor Doina Cornea, who died last night at the age of 89, as ‘a symbol of the Romanian courage and anti-communist resistance. The head of the Romanian state has conveyed a message of condolences to the family and all those who knew and loved the anti-communist campaigner who was Doina Cornea. Numerous personalities from Romanias political, cultural and civil society have deplored the death of the one who back in 1982 became known for her public criticism against Nicolae Ceausescus dictatorship; her anti-communist activity was made public by the international radio stations with programmes in Romanian. Sacked by the University of Cluj, in northwestern Romania, beaten by the agents of Ceausescus political police, the Securitate and serving a house arrest sentence, Doina Cornea became one of the leading figures of the anti-communist revolt of 1989. She was also one of the first personalities to protest the abuses committed by the new post-communist left-wing government. She was praised and appreciated by former Pontiff Pope John Paul ll and by Romanias former sovereign, King Michael l.




    VISIT Romanias Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu on Thursday and Friday paid a formal visit to Morocco. The Romanian official held talks with high-ranking Moroccan officials during which he underlined the importance Romania attaches to reinvigorating and diversifying cooperation with countries in Africa, with its traditional partners in the Maghreb region. The head of the Romanian diplomacy has underlined the excellent bilateral relations between Romania and Morocco based on a friendship spanning more than 50 years, as well as the desire of the Romanian side to step up bilateral political dialogue at all levels. Melescanu has mentioned the upward trend in boosting bilateral exchanges in the past years, the Moroccan Kingdom becoming Romanias first trade partner in Africa and the Middle East. Stepping up investment and the association of Romanian economic operators with economic projects Morocco runs both at home and on the African continent, were major issues on the Romanian Foreign Ministers agenda.




    TENNIS Romanias tennis player Mihaela Buzarnescu on Friday qualified for the finals of the WTA tournament in Prague with more than 226 thousand dollars in prize money after a win against Italian challenger Camila Giorgi. The Romanian will be playing Petra Kvitova, the tournaments second favourite, in the finals on Saturday. Buzarnescu will be playing her second WTA finals after the one in Hobart, Australia early this year.


    (translated by bill)