STRIKE – The teachers’ strike has entered its
third week, while national evaluation exams and the baccalaureate are due to
begin, involving 325,000 8th and 12th year graduates. The
government says it has met all of the protesters’ demands, while the latter’s
trade unions say the government’s latest offer does not meet their
expectations. Education minister Ligia Deca has called on teachers to return to
classrooms and explained that following the pay rise offered by the government,
the average salary in education would reach a gross sum of 1,700 euros. The
representatives of the education ministry, pupils, parents and trade unions met
on Tuesday to find solutions with regard to holding exams at the scheduled
dates. Education Minister Ligia Deca says there are no plans yet for
rescheduling exams or extending the school year.
B9 – The leaders of Bucharest 9 countries met
in Bratislava and issued a joint statement expressing their support for
Ukraine’s NATO accession, once circumstances allow it. Ukraine is an
integral part of the Euro-Atlantic community and its security is intertwined
with that of the Allies. We strongly support Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic
aspirations and reiterate the Bucharest 2008 decision that Ukraine will become
a member of NATO, the document signed by the leaders of Bulgaria, the Czech
Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Hungary
reads. The shared vision of B9 states is key to ensuring security on NATO’s
eastern flank, Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis said. The Romanian official
also called for consolidating support for NATO’s vulnerable partners, in
particular the Republic of Moldova, with a view to consolidating this country’s
defense capabilities. Klaus Iohannis presided the meeting alongside the
presidents of Slovakia and Poland, Zuzana Čaputová and Andrzej Duda,
respectively. Also attending the meeting in Bratislava was NATO Secretary General
Jens Stoltenberg.
EXPLOSION – The destruction of the Nova Kakhovka dam
is another war crime Russia has committed against innocent civilians,
president Klaus Iohannis tweeted shortly after the explosion. Russia and
Russian aggressors must be held accountable. Our thoughts go out to all those
affected by this terrible attack, the Romanian president added. Earlier, NATO
Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg expressed outrage at the attack, which, he
argues, proves once again the brutality of Russia’s war. The Ukrainian army
accused Russia of blowing up the dam at the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant,
located some 150 km from the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. Still, the
Russian crew in charge of the NPP stated the partial destruction of the dam,
which served in cooling the station, poses no threat to the installation for
the time being. We recall the dam had been occupied by the Russians at the
start of their invasion of Ukraine. Built on the Dnieper in 1956, the dam is
one of the largest of its kind in Ukraine.
EXERCISE – 5,000 Romanian and 2,700 American military,
as well as 2,300 servicemen and officers from other allied and partner nations
are taking part in the biggest NATO exercise in Romania, in the Black Sea
region, entitled Saber Guardian 23. The exercise is meant to ensure better
collaboration between the troops in the event of rapid intervention missions.
Exercises include wet gap crossings of the Danube river, parachute jumps and
drills specific to infantry and artillery attacks. This exercise is more
important than ever. The changes the Russian aggression in Ukraine has brought
to the security framework confirm the fact that the Black Sea is now critical
to Europe’s security. The strategic importance of the Black Sea has increased
exponentially, Romania’s Defense Minister Angel Tîlvăr says. The Saber
Guardian exercise is part of the Defender Europe 23, a U.S. European Command directed
multinational exercise. (CM & VP)