Tag: MOTOC

  • October 6, 2016 UPDATE

    October 6, 2016 UPDATE

    CONTRIBUTION Romania is a major contributor to the new European Border and Coast Guard Agency, the country’s Interior Minister Dragos Tudorache said on Thursday after having participated in the inauguration of this body in Bulgaria. According to Tudorache, the new aency will contribute to the consolidation of the EU borders, assisting the member states in implementing border security and migration management. The Romanian official has announced that by the end of the year, Romania will have contributed 75 border policemen to the agency. According to Tudorache, 400 Romanian policemen, four patrol vessels and ten crews have so far participated in 14 Frontex missions. On this occasion the Romanian Interior Minister held talks with his Bulgarian counterpart Rumiana Basharova about the assistance Bucharest would be granting to Bulgaria in dealing with refugee inflows as well as on the visa waiver for the Romanian and Bulgarian citizens who travel to Canada.



    ENDORSEMENT Portuguese Antonio Guterres 67 on Thursday got endorsement from all the 15 members of the UN Security Council to become the future UN Secretary General. Diplomat and politician Antonio Guterres had headed the UN Refugee Agency until December. After the Security Council vote the candidacy will have to be approved by the members of the UN General Assembly, which boasts representatives from 193 countries and territories. The former Portuguese Prime Minister is to replace South Korean Ban Ki-Moon, whose second term in office is to end on December 31st.



    COOPERATION Romania’s Defence Minister Mihnea Motoc and his Dutch counterpart Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert signed in Bucharest on Thursday a letter of intention on developing bilateral military cooperation. According to Motoc, the meeting came against the background of stepped up cooperation between allied forces for special operations in cyber defence and the technical-military field. The two officials have also tackled the participation of Dutch troops in the multinational NATO brigade to be stationed in Romania. Germany has announced its participation with chief of staff officers, Bulgaria with 400 soldiers and Poland with nearly 120 soldiers. Attending a Security Forum in Bucharest, the Dutch Defence Minister said that at present Europe is less safer and that additional measures are needed including a consistant rotating NATO presence in the Black Sea.



    TENNIS The world’s fifth tennis player Romanian Simona Halep was eliminated on Thursday by Chinese Shuai Zhang in the eighth finals of the Beijing tournament with total prizes of 5.5 million dollars. It is the second match Halep has lost to the Chinese challenger this season, after the one in Australian Open. In the quarters Zhang will be taking on British Johanna Konta, who comes after a win against Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic.



  • 3 October, 2016

    3 October, 2016

    UNIVERSITY — Romanian President Klaus Iohannis today attends the opening ceremony for the new university year at the Western University of Timisoara. The president emphasized meritocracy, without which he said a better Romania would not be possible. He said that the country needed political projects looking to the future, as well as political visions and politicians who want to build a better Romania.



    DEFENSE — Romanian Defense Minister Mihnea Motoc announced today that Germany would allocate general staff officers to the NATO multinational brigade forming in Romania. At the same time, Bulgaria confirmed once again it would contribute 400 soldiers to the brigade, while Poland would set aside a company for the combat unit, which is set to work alongside an American unit. The Rovine 2nd Infantry Brigade, headquartered in Craiova, southern Romania, will turn into the NATO Multinational Brigade, as part of the plan laid out at the NATO summit in Warsaw that took place this summer.



    NOBEL — The Nobel Prize for Medicine went this year to Japanese researcher Yoshinori Ohsumi for research on autophagy, the metabolic activity in which organisms consume their own tissues when starving. His research is considered crucial for understanding cell renewal and the bodys response to hunger and infections, especially in its genetic aspects, relevant to research into cancer and neurological conditions.



    HUNGARY — Nine out of ten Hungarians voted in Sundays referendum to turn down mandatory European quotas of refugees, but the low poll attendance, below 50%, invalidated the referendum. Radio Romanias correspondent in Budapest informs that, in spite of its campaign against migration, the Conservative government led by Viktor Orban did not manage to bring people to the polls. The PM wants to validate the vote, and announced amendments to the Constitution.



    BUCHAREST — European Commissioner for Regional Policy, Corina Cretu, said she hoped the Romanian Parliament elected on December 11th would align Romanian legislation with that of Europe. The commissioner attended in Bucharest a conference on todays challenges in sustainable urban development and the role European funds play in it. She made reference to the EUs urban agenda and its role in Romania. The commissioner visited several sites financed by European funds, attending conferences and meetings with Romanian officials.



    FOOTBALL — Romanias national football team is preparing its away games against Armenia, scheduled for the 8th of October, and against Kazakhstan, on the 11th , part of the preliminaries to the 2018 World Cup to be held in Russia. Last month, the national team tied 1-all against Montenegro at home, in the first game under the guidance of German coach Cristoph Daum, the first foreign coach of a Romanian national side. In the same E group, Denmark bested Armenia 1-0, while Poland tied away from home in Kazakhstan, 2-all. On November 11, Romania is scheduled to play against Poland on home turf.

  • 11 July, 2016

    11 July, 2016

    NATO SUMMIT – Defense Minister Mihnea Motoc said today that the Romanian delegation to the recently concluded NATO summit in Warsaw has covered all the issues it was mandated to cover by Romania’s Higher Defense Council. He emphasized the fact that NATO’s new deterrence posture, with a strong forward presence, which is of major interest to Romania, is manifest on the eastern flank of the Alliance in the Baltic area, and in the Black Sea region.



    CANADA VISAS – Dragos Tudorache, Chief of Staff to Romania’s PM, holds talks today in Brussels with the Canadian minister for migration, John McCallum, alongside representatives of the EC, on the issue of removing visa requirements for Romanians traveling to Canada. Romania and Bulgaria announced they would not sign the EU trade treaty with Canada until the visa requirement was removed. In April, Canada and the US got three additional months to comply with EU policies regarding reciprocal visa requirements. According to this principle, countries whose citizens can travel without a visa to any EU member country have to remove that requirement for citizens of the given EU country. Right now, Canada requires visas for Romanians and Bulgarians, while the US requires visas for citizens of five European members, including Romania. PM Dacian Ciolos had previously stated that PM Justin Trudeau, whom he met in Ottawa recently, said he was open to any mutually agreeable political solution.



    ASSASSINATION – Romania’s general honorary consul to El Salvador, Ricardo Emanuel Salume Barake, was assassinated on Sunday in his residence in the capital of that country, according to the authorities in San Salvador. Nothing is yet known about the motives of the killing and the circumstances. This is the second diplomat assassinated in the Central American country this year. On 26 May, Panama’s honorary consul, Carlos Armando Lemus, was found dead in a car on a road in the capital. Violence has erupted once again in El Salvador, claiming the lives of 2,900 people this year alone in what is seen as one of the most violent countries in the world.



    EURO 2016 – Portugal’s national football team on Sunday claimed the title of European champion, defeating France 1-0 after extra time in Paris. This is Portugal’s first such title, after they came very close in 2004, losing in the final played at home. France has two European titles, in 1984 and 2000, and one world title, in 1998. It also made it to the finals in 2006, but lost. The next European championship will be held in 2020 on 13 stadiums in as many countries, among them Romania.



    RETAIL LAW – President Klaus Iohannis endorsed today a law that compels supermarkets to stock their shelves with at least 51% Romanian products, and forbids them from requiring fees and services from suppliers. Retailers with an annual net turnover of below two million Euro are exempt from the new regulations.



    MILITARY EXERCISE – Three Romanian warships take part in a multinational exercise in Bulgaria’s territorial waters and international waters in the Black Sea for a week, starting today. The ships are the Queen Marie, a frigate with a crew of 240, the minesweeper Sublieutenant Alexandru Axente, and the missile ship Lastunul, with a crew of 60. The Romanian ships are part of the package provided by Romania to NATO forces. The exercise is meant to enhance interoperability between NATO partners.

  • 14.06.2016

    14.06.2016

    Bucarest – Le président roumain Klaus Iohannis doit s’entretenir aujourd’hui avec son homologue italien Sergio Mattarella. Les deux chefs d’Etat parleront des relations bilatérales et des échanges économiques dont la valeur se monte actuellement à 13 milliards d’euros. L’Italie est d’ailleurs le deuxième partenaire économique de la Roumanie. Aujourd’hui également, les deux présidents participent à l’inauguration d’un Forum des affaires roumano-italien. La situation des Roumains de la péninsule figure également à l’agenda des pourparlers. Sachez que plus d’un million deux cent mille Roumains habitent en Italie, alors que le nombre des Italiens établis en Roumanie s’élève à 20 mille.

    Canada – Le premier ministre roumain, Dacian Ciolos, fait jusqu’à jeudi une visite officielle au Canada, la première d’un premier ministre roumain dans ce pays depuis 15 ans. Le chef du cabinet de Bucarest rencontrera à Ottawa, son homologue canadien Justin Trudeau, ainsi que d’autres responsables, pour évoquer notamment la suppression du régime des visas pour les citoyens roumains souhaitant se rendre au Canada. Rappelons-le, la Roumanie et la Bulgarie sont les deux derniers pays de l’UE dont les ressortissants doivent se munir d’un visa pour entrer sur le territoire canadien. La semaine dernière les deux pays de l’UE ont adressé une lettre conjointe au gouvernement d’Ottawa où ils lui demandent précisément d’éliminer les visas pour leurs ressortissants. A noter que le Canada a activement soutenu l’intégration de la Roumanie à l’OTAN, étant le premier pays à avoir ratifié les protocoles d’adhésion des Etats candidats, dont la Roumanie, le 28 mars 2003.

    Bruxelles – Le
    ministre roumain de la Défense, Mihnea Motoc participe ces mardi et mercredi à
    Bruxelles à une réunion de ses homologues des Etats membres de l’OTAN. A
    l’agenda figurent, entre autres, les préparatifs en vue du sommet de Varsovie, prévu
    d’ici trois semaines, la présence des Alliés sur le flanc européen oriental ou
    encore la situation en Afghanistan. En marge de cette réunion, le ministre
    Motoc rencontrera ses homologues d’Italie, du Royaume-Uni, de Pologne, du
    Portugal, d’Espagne, de Turquie, d’Ukraine et de Bulgarie. Avant la réunion, le
    représentant permanent des Etats-Unis auprès de l’OTAN, Douglas Lute a déclaré
    que l’Alliance de l’Atlantique-nord soutient la Roumanie et apprécie le fait
    que ce pays accueille des éléments du bouclier anti-missile américain à la base
    de Deveselu, dans le sud. Il a également dit qu’au cas où tout autre pays
    menace cette base ou la souveraineté de la Roumanie, l’OTAN réagirait et la
    défendra.












    Politique – A
    Bucarest, la direction du PSD, le plus important parti de la gauche fera
    aujourd’hui une nouvelle nomination pour la fonction de président de la Chambre
    des Députés, après la révocation de Valeriu Zgonea, qui a perdu l’appui
    politique de ce parti. C’est le vice-président de la chambre basse, le
    social-démocrate Florin Iordache, qui remplit actuellement les fonctions de
    président par intérim. L’ex-premier ministre Victor Ponta a déjà annoncé
    son intention de se porter candidat à ce fauteuil. Valeriu Zgonea a été exclu
    du parti parce qu’il a demandé la démission de son chef, Liviu Dragnea. Ce
    dernier avait été condamné à deux ans de prison avec sursis pour fraude électorale
    dans le dossier du Référendum de 2012 qui visait la destitution du président de
    l’époque, Traian Basescu.


















    Bucarest – Des
    commémorations se déroulent aujourd’hui à Bucarest à la mémoire des victimes de
    la descente des mineurs de la Vallée du Jiu sur la capitale roumaine, il y a 26
    ans. Du 13 au 15 juin 1990, les gueules noires ont mis fin à une ample manif
    contre le pouvoir de gauche installé après la chute de la dictature communiste.
    Sur toile de fond des violences intervenues en marge de cette manifestation, violences
    que l’armée avait déjà réussi à contenir, le président de l’époque, Ion Iliescu
    a invoqué une tentative de putsch de l’extrême droite et demandé à la
    population de défendre les institutions démocratiques. La descente des mineurs
    de la Vallée du Jiu, région du centre-ouest du pays, sur Bucarest à fait six
    morts, des centaines de blessés et plus de mille arrestations abusives. En
    2014, la Cour européenne des droits de l’Homme a décidé d’imposer à la Roumanie
    à continuer les investigations dans le dossier visant les événements de juin
    1990.














    Foot – La
    sélection nationale de foot de Roumanie se prépare à rencontrer la Suisse
    mercredi à l’Euro 2016 de foot de France. La semaine dernière, lors du match
    d’inauguration de ce tournoi, la Roumanie a été battue par la France, 2 buts à
    1, alors que la Suisse s’est imposée face à l’Albanie dans le même groupe A.
    Les premiers matchs du groupe F sont prévus pour aujourd’hui : l’Autrice
    rencontre la Hongrie et le Portugal affronte l’Islande. Lundi, dans la poule E,
    l’Italie s’est imposée face à la Belgique sur le score de 2 buts à 0, alors que
    la Suède et l’Irlande ont terminé à égalité : 1 partout. Lundi également,
    dans le groupe D, l’Espagne s’est imposée avec 1 but à 0 contre la République
    Tchèque.