Radio România Internațional

Tag: NATO support

  • April 13, 2022 UPDATE

    April 13, 2022 UPDATE

    VISIT – Chamber of Deputies Speaker, Marcel
    Ciolacu, will visit Kyiv on April 27, official sources say. The visit comes in
    response to an invitation extended by the Speaker of the Supreme Rada, Ruslan
    Stefanchuk. Ciolacu will visit various areas affected by the war, including
    areas where the Russian army committed atrocities. Marcel Ciolacu might also
    address the Supreme Rada. Senate Speaker Florin Cîțu also received an invitation to Kyiv,
    and the details of his visit are yet to be made public.




    UKRAINE – The presidents of Poland, Lithuania,
    Latvia and Estonia are in Kyiv for talks with president Volodymyr Zelensky.
    Lithuania’s president, Gitanas Nauseda, said the delegation is delivering a
    strong message of political support and military assistance. Meanwhile, Ukraine
    and Russia are consolidating their forces in Donbas, which is now Moscow’s
    primary target. In the south, the Ukrainian army announced a counter-offensive,
    seeking to liberate several towns and villages. Close to Odessa, Ukrainian
    forces have pushed out Russian troops far from the northern borders of the
    Kherson Oblast, putting an end to the siege on this city. According to our
    correspondent, the Ukrainian General Staff announced the threat of a missile
    attack from the Black Sea remains real. Russian naval forces have isolated the
    conflict areas in the Black and Azov seas and are carrying out reconnaissance
    missions.




    NATO – We will continue our efforts to
    ensure the prompt, determined and robust response of the North Atlantic
    Alliance to any possible challenge or threat, Romanian President Klaus
    Iohannis said on Wednesday, also thanking all NATO allies for their presence in
    Romania. The head of state visited the Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base 57,
    together with the Romanian Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă and the Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo. NATO is
    the strongest and most concrete security guarantee for member states, Nicolae
    Ciucă said. The Romanian Prime Minister also said that an effective deterrence
    and defense posture must be developed on the eastern flank of the Alliance. In
    turn, Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said NATO is a defensive alliance, and
    its member states are ready to defend their territory in case of an attack,
    adding that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine represents a brutal assault on basic
    EU and NATO values – freedom, democracy and human rights. A Belgian military
    unit is currently deployed to Romania as part of NATO’s Response Force.




    WORLD BANK – World Bank Group
    president, David Malpass, is paying an official visit to Romania on Wednesday
    and Thursday. According to a World Bank release, the visit is meant to reassert
    the World Bank’s support for Romania’s efforts to ensure sustainable and
    inclusive economic growth. David Malpass will meet representatives of the
    public sector and partners of the World Bank. Furthermore, David Malpass will
    also visit a project implemented with support from the World Bank in the field
    of education, with a focus on the Roma community. The World Bank’s active
    portfolio in Romania includes nine investment projects with a total value of
    $1.8 billion and technical and analytical assistance services worth $124
    billion.


    REPORT – Impunity for perpetrators of
    some human rights abuses was a continuing problem in Romania, whereas the
    judiciary took steps to prosecute and punish officials who committed abuses,
    reads the 2021 Report on Human Rights Practices for Romania, released by the US
    Department of State. Still, authorities did not have effective mechanisms to
    prosecute officials and delayed proceedings involving alleged police abuse and
    corruption, with the result that many of the cases ended in acquittals, the
    report further shows. According to the document, civilian authorities
    maintained effective control over the intelligence service and the security
    agencies that reported to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The report also
    addresses the harsh conditions of Romanian penitentiaries, which are
    overcrowded and fail to meet international standards. Corrupt practices
    remained widespread in 2021 despite several high-profile prosecutions, the
    report also reads.


    COVID-19 – 1,600 new cases of COVID-19
    infection and 36 related deaths were reported on Wednesday in Romania. Most new
    infections were signaled in Bucharest. Right now, some 1,900 patients are being
    treated for COVID-19 in hospitals, of whom 253 in intensive care units. (MI
    & VP)

  • January 20, 2022 UPDATE

    January 20, 2022 UPDATE

    COVID-19 ROMANIA – Romania on Thursday reported over 19 thousand
    SARS-CoV-2 infections over the course of 24 hours out of 78 thousand tests, a
    record high since the start of the pandemic. The Group for Strategic Communication
    announced another 43 related fatalities, of which 4 were reported prior to the
    reference period. The previous record of infections was on October 19, 2021,
    when 18,863 infections were reported in a single day. At the time 561 deaths
    were also reported. Health Minister Alexandru Rafila says the COVID-related
    mortality rate is at present ten times lower compared to October last year. The
    Romanian official added that an innovative antiviral treatment will also be
    made available shortly. 8 million Romanians have so far received at least one
    dose of the anti-COVID-19 vaccine. The rate of vaccination stands at 47.5% of
    the total eligible population, the head of the National Committee for the
    Coordination of anti-COVID-19 Vaccination Activities, medical doctor Valeriu
    Gheorghiţă has announced. According to Dr. Gheorghiţă, the highest vaccination
    rate is reported for people aged 50-59. Starting January 26, the anti-COVID-19
    vaccine can be administered to children aged 5-11.




    PROGRAM – The authorities have launched the National Program
    for Combating Cancer in an event attended by president Klaus Iohannis. In
    February 2021, the European Commission launched the Europe’s Beating Cancer
    Plan, allotting €4 billion to finance cancer prevention, research and treatment
    programs across the community bloc. Meanwhile, the Romanian Parliament set up a
    special task force charged with transposing the Commission’s plan into national
    law. Right now, part of the cancer treatments, lab tests and prevention
    programs are funded under a nationwide program.




    NATO – Romania president, Klaus Iohannis, on Thursday hailed the
    announcement made the previous day by US president Joe Biden over the increase
    of America’s military presence in Romania on NATO’s eastern flank should the
    security situation deteriorate. The Romania-USA Strategic Partnership and NATO
    solidarity are very strong, Klaus Iohannis tweeted. The Romanian president
    added that Romania’s Strategic Partnership with France will also be
    consolidated in the Black Sea region, following the announcement of French
    president Emmanuel Macron regarding France’s willingness to deploy troops on
    Romania’s territory as part of NATO missions. The announcements follow at a
    very delicate time for Eastern Europe, where Russia has rallied over 100 thousand
    troops on the Ukrainian border. The Kremlin has called on NATO members to
    withdraw their troops from countries in Eastern Europe, including Romania. Romania’s
    Foreign Minister, Bogdan Aurescu, said NATO should consolidate its presence on
    its eastern flank as soon as possible, adding that the recent messages conveyed
    by the presidents of the USA and France also serve an important deterrence purpose
    in the current security context.




    MOLDOVA
    – Romania’s Prime Minister, Nicolae Ciucă, on
    Thursday talked over the phone to his Moldovan counterpart, Natalia Gavrilița, over the possibility
    of ensuring the necessary volume of fuel oil for the Republic of Moldova. For
    that to happen, Moldova must submit a formal request. The conversation followed
    after the Moldovan Parliament declared a state of emergency in the energy
    sector due to the high risk that the Russian energy giant Gazprom should cease
    natural gas deliveries to the Republic of Moldova. The two officials also
    discussed about preparations for the upcoming joint government session, slated
    for early February. We recall that on Wednesday, the government adopted the
    memorandum ensuring the framework for a new agreement based on which Romania
    will be able to continue providing technical and financial support to Moldova.
    Romania has provided Moldova with a non-reimbursable financial aid worth €100
    million.




    TENNIS – Tennis player Simona Halep advanced to the third round at the
    Australian open after ousting Beatriz Haddad Maia of Brazil, 6-2, 6-0 on
    Thursday. Sorana Cîrstea also qualified to the next
    phase after defeating Kristina Kukova of Slovakia, 6-2, 6-4. Irina Begu however
    lost to Elise Mertens of Belgium in the second round. (VP)