Radio România Internațional

Tag: NATO Parliamentary Assembly

  • May 25, 2024 UPDATE

    May 25, 2024 UPDATE

    ESPIONAGE – A Romanian citizen was arrested on charges of treason, suspected of spying in Russia’s favor. According to the Romanian Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT), the suspect sent to the Russian Embassy in Bucharest images of Romanian or NATO sites in Tulcea (east). He also collected other military information and has been carrying out such activities since 2022. The suspect, Alexandru Piscan, is a young politician from Ploiești, judicial sources say. Prosecutors also searched his home, where they collected several items of evidence. Following this incident, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs declared a diplomat from the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Bucharest persona non grata on Romanian territory. Russia will respond in equal measure, the spokeswoman of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maria Zakharova, announced shortly after.

     

    DRONE – The first Romanian drone is expected to enter production at a factory in Braşov (center), a subsidiary of the ROMARM National Military Company. A first step in this direction was taken on Friday in Bucharest, on the sidelines of the “Black Sea Defense and Aerospace” international exhibition, with the signing of a strategic agreement with Periscope Aviation, an American manufacturer of military and commercial drones. Economy Minister Radu Oprea said the agreement is a premiere for the Romanian defense industry, being the first strategic partnership a domestic company signs in the field of constructing military and civilian drones. Two other agreements related to research activity in the field were also signed, the Romanian official said. Participants in the “Black Sea Defense and Aerospace” exhibition said the objective of the agreement is the mass production of a 100% Romanian drone, intended for both military and civilian use, such as agriculture.

     

    FESTIVAL – Festivities marking the “Day of Romanians Worldwide”, celebrated every year on the last Sunday of May, continue across the country. Saturday saw the official opening of the communication session, with Romanians abroad having the opportunity of talking directly to state representatives to convey the concerns, needs and difficulties they face in host countries and upon returning to Romania, but also to get to know each other, share experiences, best practices and plan joint projects. Over 500 Romanians from the diaspora and historical communities from 34 countries are expected to take part in the 7th edition of the “Here and there” festival. The event brings together Romanian artists from the country and abroad, as well as representatives of associations, academia and the business environment from Romanian communities abroad.

     

    EVACUATIONS – Six Romanian citizens who requested support for evacuation have left New Caledonia, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bucharest reports. A Romanian citizen was evacuated to Australia on May 22, with an airlift organized by French authorities in cooperation with the Australian and New Zealand authorities. The other five Romanians left French territory on Saturday. Of these, two were evacuated to Australia with an Australian Air Forces military aircraft, the other three being boarded on a civilian flight organized by the French authorities. The French government has declared a state of emergency in New Caledonia following violence that broke out over a bill passed by the French Parliament that would allow French residents living on the Pacific island to vote in provincial elections. Protesters set fire to vehicles and company premises and looted shops. At least seven people lost their lives and hundreds of people were arrested.

     

    NATO – 400 MPs from 32 NATO member states and 25 partner countries and parliamentary organizations are attending the spring session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, hosted from Saturday till Monday by Sofia, Bulgaria. Participants will discuss major topics on the Euro-Atlantic defense and security agenda, emphasizing support for Ukraine and the priorities of the upcoming NATO summit in Washington in July. Over the weekend, MPs are taking part in talks in the five committees of the Parliamentary Assembly, discussing draft reports and adopting important political recommendations. In Monday’s plenary session, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg will deliver a speech, and Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov will deliver a message via video conference. MPs from NATO member states will discuss and adopt decisions regarding the requests made by Malta and Kosovo to receive the status of NATO associated states. The Parliamentary Assembly will also tackled challenges from the countries of the Western Balkans, along with strategies to support partners at risk and to strengthen engagement with the ‘Global South’ (low- or middle-income countries in Latin

    America, Africa, Asia and Oceania).

     

    TENNIS – Four Romanian tennis players will perform in the women’s main draw at Roland Garros, the second Grand Slam of the year. They will all compete in the first round. Sorana Cîrstea (30 WTA), Romania’s best-ranked tennis player at present, was seeded 28th and will take on Anna Blinkova of Russia (45 WTA). Jaqueline Cristian (67 WTA) faces a tougher opponent, 9th-seed Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia (10 WTA). Ana Bogdan (63 WTA) will face Elsa Jacquemot of France (150 WTA), the beneficiary of a wild card. Finally, Irina Begu (126 WTA), who benefits from protected ranking, will take on Julia Riera of Argentina (93 WTA). In other news from tennis, the pair made up of Monica Niculescu of Romania and Cristina Bucșa of Spain has won the womens doubles final at the WTA 500 tournament in Strasbourg. In the final, the two outperformed Asia Muhammad of the United States and Aldila Sutjiadi of Indonesia, 3-6, 6-4, 10-6. This is the 11th doubles title for Monica Niculescu and the 23rd final of her career. Her last title dated back to 2021, in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan. (VP)

  • Bucharest hosts NATO Parliamentary Assembly

    Bucharest hosts NATO Parliamentary Assembly

    The North-Atlantic Treaty Organization risks losing its technological edge unless it invests more in research and development (R&D), reads a report made public during the 63rd session of NATOs Parliamentary Assembly hosted by Bucharest. Presented by NATO General Rapporteur Thomas Marino of the United States, the document is titled: “Maintaining NATOs Technology Edge: Strategic Adaptation and Defence Research & Development.



    According to the report, NATOs technological edge is warning against the rapid advancements in the fields of science and technology, some of which might potentially disrupt the strategic balance as regards production on the short term and artificial intelligence on the long term. Thomas Marino says that, for the time being, NATO is not prepared to deal with these challenges, particularly while considering the dropping rate of R&D investment in member states.



    Conversely, the NATO official pointed out, Russias R&D budget doubled over 2012-2015, and some experts say that by 2020 Chinas budget for research and development will exceed that of the United States, which currently accounts for two thirds of NATOs total spending. Thomas Marino highlighted the fact that NATO members must abide by their commitment to allocating 2% of their GDP to defence spending, a goal Romania has already achieved.



    Additionally, the NATO official referred to the idea of a common EU security fund, which might be instrumental in further expanding research and development capabilities and rebuilding the basis of the EUs defence industry. Another document drafted by the NATO PAs Political Committee shows that Russia is strengthening its military capabilities and intensifying its actions on NATOs eastern borders.



    Under the heading “Russia – from Partner to Competitor, the report highlights Moscows actions aimed at exerting pressure on the whole Euro-Atlantic area. Moscows challenging attitude towards the Alliance and its ingressions in Ukraine, Georgia and other NATO partners are undermining the stability of NATO and the EU. The report recommends all allies to remain committed to a strong deterrence posture and stand up against Russias continuous provocations and aggressions against NATO partner countries, particularly Ukraine and Georgia. The document concludes that allies should maintain periodic and meaningful dialogue with Russia, although some topics as counter-terrorism or the peacemaking process in Syria remain very delicate topics.

  • October 7, 2017 UPDATE

    October 7, 2017 UPDATE

    Tennis — The success scored by the Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, who becomes the new WTA world No. 1 on Monday, when the updated rankings are released, has been hailed by sports personalities from Romania and abroad. Simona received congratulations from her coach Australian Darren Cahill, the former Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci, the former German tennis player Boris Becker and the Romanian minister of youth and sports, Marius Alexandru Dunca. According to former Romanian tennis player Ilie Nastase, one of the best players of the 1970s and a former ATP world no.1 player, the most difficult part for Simona Halep is just starting now. Halep is the first Romanian player to become WTA World No. 1 after on Saturday she qualified to the WTA tournament final in Beijing. On Sunday she will meet Caroline Garcia of France. Simona Halep also becomes 25th WTA World No. 1 player.



    NATO – Romania needs to join the Schengen area so as to facilitate the movement of allied troops in Europe in case of conflict, said Saturday the Romanian defense minister Mihai Fifor at the 63rd annual meeting of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly hosted by Bucharest. In turn, the Chief of General Staff of the Romanian Army, general Nicolae Ciucă, said Saturday that the recent facts he identified in the Black Sea area confirmed that the situation was deteriorating. He mentioned Russia’s actions, the crisis in Ukraine and the trans-national threats resulting from terrorism and migration. According to him, these actions are destabilizing the region, consequently all NATO members should remain vigilant. The Romanian foreign minister Teodor Meleşcanu also said that the deployment of Russian troops in the Black Sea is not targeting only this region but also the east of Europe, the Mediterranean and the Middle East. The NATO Parliamentary Assembly meeting is being attended by more than 50 delegations from NATO’s member or associate states.



    Madrid — Thousands of Spanish people calling for Spanish unity and dialogue attended rallies in Madrid and other cities across Spain against the backdrop of the separatists from Catalonia wanting to unilaterally declare the region’s independence in the following days, after last Sunday’s referendum was rejected as illegal by the Spanish justice. The government in Madrid once again called on the Catalan leaders to give up their declaration of independence. Also Spain’s government representative in Catalonia apologized to people hurt during police efforts to stop the referendum. On Sunday Barcelona will see another rally aimed at making a call for wisdom. The rally will also be attended by well-known writer Mario Vargas Llosa who labeled the Catalan separatism as a ‘disease’.



    Visa waiver — Including Romania in the Visa Waiver program and deepening the Strategic Partnership with the US were the topics discussed Saturday in Bucharest by the PM Mihai Tudose and the speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Liviu Dragnea with a delegation of the American Congress. Romania will remain a trustworthy partner of the US and also a partner within NATO, the Romanian PM said. The American officials have in turn expressed support for the projects Romania is developing in the field of energy security.



    Migrants — 50 people, among whom 19 children and 10 women, risking drowning were saved by the Romanian border police who were on a mission in the Aegean Sea. The migrants were on an overcrowded inflatable boat in full danger of sinking. The migrants were subsequently landed in the port of Chios and handed over to the Greek authorities. Since the beginning of the year the Romanian police have rescued over 1,200 people on board small boats in danger of sinking in the territorial waters of Greece, shows a communiqué of the Border Police.



    Weather report – The south and southeast of Romania are under a code orange alert for bad weather until Sunday afternoon. Heavy rainfalls will be reported in these regions, the amount of water reaching 20-30 l/sq.m. In the rest of the territory, light rainfalls are expected mainly in the northwest. In the mountains, at more than 1,600 meters altitude snowfalls will be reported. The highs of the day ranged from 7 to 19 degrees C. (translation by L. Simion)

  • October 7, 2017

    October 7, 2017

    Tennis — The Romanian tennis player Simona Halep will become, as of Monday, the new world’s nr. 1 player after she qualified on Saturday to the final of the WTA tournament hosted by Beijing. She defeated 6-2, 6-4 the Latvian player Jelena Ostapenko. Thus the Romanian player has made up for the defeat sustained in June at the Roland Garros final in front of the Latvian player. In the Beijing tournament final Simona Halep will take on the winner of the match pitting Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic against Caroline Garcia of France. Halep is the first Romanian player to become the world’s no. 1 player, while being the WTA 25th world leader. In the history of Romanian tennis, in the singles competition, Simona Halep is the 2nd world leader after Ilie Nastase, who obtained the top position in the ATP classification in 1973.



    NATO — The deployment of Russian troops in the Black Sea is not targeting only this region but also the east of Europe, the Mediterranean and the Middle East, the Romanian foreign minister Teodor Meleşcau said Saturday at the 63rd annual meeting of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly hosted by Bucharest. Minister Melescanu pointed out that after Moscow illegally annexed Crimea in 2014, an accumulation of Russian troops and weaponry occurred, which changed the balance of forces on the area. The NATO Parliamentary Assembly meeting is being attended by more than 50 delegations from NATO’s member or associate states. On Monday, in the opening of the plenary session, the Romanian President as well as the NATO Secretary General will address the participants.



    Migrants — 50 people, among whom 19 children and 10 women, risking drowning were saved by the Romanian border police who were on a mission in the Aegean Sea. The migrants were on an overcrowded inflatable boat in full danger of sinking. The migrants were subsequently landed in the port of Chios and delivered to the Greek authorities. Since the beginning of the year the Romanian police have rescued over 1,200 people on board small boats in danger of sinking in the territorial waters of Greece, shows a communiqué of the Border Police.



    Chisinau — The Republic of Moldova will not receive the installment, scheduled for this year, of the 100 million euros worth of aid granted by the EU, the PM Pavel Filip announced. He nevertheless expressed his hope that the money would come in mid 2018 at the latest. Pavel Filip admitted that the measure adopted by Brussels was caused by Chisinau’s decision to change the election system for the next parliamentary elections.



    Weather report – The south and southeast of Romania are under a code orange alert for bad weather until Sunday afternoon. The wind speed has reached 80-90 kms/h in certain areas and heavy rainfalls have been reported. Snow falls and storms are expected in the mountains. The highs of the day range from 8 to 17 degrees C with a 9-degree reading in Bucharest at noon. (translation by L. Simion)

  • October 6, 2017

    October 6, 2017

    NEGOTIATIONS — Romanian Prime Minister Mihai Tudose today held a new round of negotiations with representatives of trade union confederations, which turned out to be inconclusive. Talks focused on the transfer of social security contributions from employers to employees, a draft law the Government is unwilling to discard despite rising criticism from trade unions. Unionists also want to draft an amendment to the law on social dialogue, jointly with experts from various ministries within a month. Trade unions from the field of healthcare have today joined the protest, calling for the modification of the salary law and the reintroduction of meal vouchers starting January 1, 2018.



    NATO — As of today Bucharest is playing host to the 63rd annual meeting of NATO’s Parliamentary Assembly, a major international security event. Over 50 delegations of NATO member and associate countries are taking part in the event. The main topics on the agenda are NATO operations in Afghanistan, NATO-EU cooperation, security in the Black Sea region, the developments in Eastern Asia and the humanitarian crises in Syria and Iraq. Moreover, the Assembly’s special committees are due to ratify several reports that were debated in the previous meeting hosted by Georgia in spring. On Monday, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg will give opening addresses.





    ACCIDENT — A miner died and two were injured yesterday in Lupeni, a coal mine in western Romania, after the ceiling of the gallery caved in. At the end of a 15-hour digging operation rescuers managed to reach the three miners trapped underground. 8 of the total of 11 miners who were at the time working in the mine managed to get themselves to the surface. Several investigations are ongoing.



    AIRCRAFT — The 86 Air Base in Borcea, Calarasi County, southern Romania, today hosted the unveiling ceremony for another series of three F-16 Fighting Falcon multirole combat aircraft. With this purchase the Romanian Air Force has completed the last phase of a process of putting multirole aircraft into commission, one year after Romania had purchased the first six such fighter jets.



    NOBEL — The Nobel Prize for Peace this year was awarded to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) for its efforts to prohibit weapons of mass destruction amidst escalating international tension in Iran and North Korea. “We live in a world where the risk of nuclear weapons being used is greater than it has been for a long time. Some states are modernizing their nuclear arsenal, and there is real danger that more countries will try to procure nuclear weapons as exemplified by North Korea”, Berit Reiss-Andersen, chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee said earlier today. She called on the world’s nuclear powers to engage in serious negotiations so as to discard their nuclear arsenal. ICAN is a coalition of NGOs active in over a hundred countries. It started out in Australia and officially launched in Vienna in 2007. The winner of the Nobel Prize for Economy will be announced on Monday.



    TENNIS — Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, WTA no. 2, today qualified to the semi-finals of the Beijing tournament, totaling over 6,3 million dollars in prize money. In the previous round Halep defeated Daria Kasatkina of Russia, 6-2, 6-2. On Saturday, Halep will play Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia, WTA no. 9, who ousted Sorana Cirstea of Romania in the quarterfinals, 6-4, 6-4. Halep this year lost the Roland Garros finals to Ostapenko. After the Beijing tournament, Halep has a new chance of climbing to the top position in WTA standings.



    FOOTBALL — Romania’s national football team on Thursday won 3-1 the home game against Kazakhstan, counting towards the 2018 World Cup preliminaries. Unfortunately the win is only for pride, as Romania now holds zero chances of advancing to the tournament. On Sunday, Romania will play Denmark away from home in the group’s last fixture. The match against Kazakhstan was the first for Romania’s new coach, Cosmin Contra, who replaced German Christoph Daum at the helm of our national team. (Translated by V. Palcu)