Radio România Internațional

Tag: Petru Filip

  • February 25, 2018

    February 25, 2018

    AWARD Romanian director Adina Pintilie’s debut feature film ‘Touch Me Not’ on Saturday night reaped the Golden Bear award at the 68th edition of the Berlin Film Festival, one of the world’s most prestigious events of this kind. Adina Pintilie has also reaped a prize for the best debut, from a jury, which also included Romanian director Calin Peter Netzer. ‘Touch Me Not’ is a personal exploration that cast a question mark over the preconceived ideas about intimacy as a fundamental aspect of human existence. This European co-production, was shot over a period of 10 weeks, between 2015 and 2017 and had a mixed cast of professional actors and common people. Adina Pintilie has become the second Romanian director to have reaped the Berlinale’s grand prize after Calin Peter Netzer for his production Child’s Pose.




    FUND A draft law on setting up the Sovereign Fund for Development and Investment will be debated upon by the specialized committees in Romania’s Senate next week. The fund has been designed as a financing instrument for strategic development projects in key-fields such as infrastructure, energy, healthcare, agriculture and is also to create fresh jobs. The fund imitates similar instruments operational in Norway, France and Poland. During the entire period of its functioning, the Romanian state will be the fund’s unique shareholder, under the administration of the Finance Ministry. In order to create it, the state will be taking over shares in 89 companies so the dividends will not go to the budget by will be annually feeding the fund.




    VISIT Romania’s Prime Minister Viorica Dancila on Tuesday will be paying a formal visit to Chisinau, in the ex-soviet Romanian-speaking Republic of Moldova. High on the Prime Minister’s agenda are talks with her Moldovan counterpart, Petru Filip, on strengthening cooperation between the two governments. The head of the Romanian diplomacy, Teodor Melescanu has recently said this is the first bilateral visit the new Romanian minister is paying to the neighboring country, being a clear signal of the priority Bucharest attaches to the relations with the Republic of Moldova. According to Melescanu, during the visit, a bilateral contract for the construction of a pipeline in the Republic’s western part will be signed as well as a cultural cooperation protocol between Romania and the Republic of Moldova.




    WEATHER Winter seems to have arrived in Romania at the end of the season with code yellow and orange alerts issued for most of the regions. A code orange alert for bad weather will be in place for Bucharest and 27 other counties in the south, east and center on Sunday night. Temperatures are to plunge to minus 22 degrees mainly at night, while during the day they are expected to be 10-15 degrees below the multianual average. Blizzards are also expected to lower the real-feel temperature. This wave of cold is believed to last until March 1st. Bucharest’s mayor, Gabriela Firea, has announced that schools will be closed on Monday and Tuesday because of the bad weather. Maximum temperatures will range between — 12 and — 2 degrees Celsius. The noon reading in Bucharest was — 3 degrees.




    REPATRIATION A Romanian citizen has been safely repatriated from Iraq via the Erbil-Istanbul-Bucharest route, the Romanian Foreign Ministry has today announced. The authorities have granted consular assistance in this case by issuing the necessary travel documents and taking all the measures needed for repatriation. The Romanian Foreign Ministry is continuing efforts to evacuate the Romanian citizens from Iraq by keeping a permanent connection both with them and with the competent authorities in the region. A travel warning for those who want to travel to the region has been posted on the Romanian Foreign Ministry’s webpage.



    translated by bill


  • România, negociator în Orientul Mijlociu?

    România, negociator în Orientul Mijlociu?

    Criza refugiaţilor şi situaţia din Siria domină şi agenda Consiliului European de
    toamnă, care are loc joi şi vineri la Bruxelles. Liderii celor 28 de state
    membre UE, inclusiv cel român, Klaus Iohannis, caută noi soluţii pentru a
    stopa valul de migranţi veniţi din Orientul Mijlociu şi nordul Africii, în
    Europa.

    Inaintea plecării la Bruxelles, şeful statului român a vorbit despre
    fenomenul migraţiei, care a dus la situaţii complicate, tensionate, în
    interiorul Uniunii. Iohannis a spus că România
    este solidară cu celelalte state din UE şi doreşte să fie în continuare parte a
    soluţiei. Important în rezolvarea crizei migraţiei,
    afirmă preşedintele, este să se identifice sursa acestor valuri de refugiaţi
    şi clar că
    sursa cea mai importantă este Siria, conflictul din această ţară fiind cauza
    unui număr imens de refugiaţi.

    Klaus Iohannis: Conflictul din Siria
    este cauza unui număr imens de refugiaţi, atât în ţările din Orientul Mijlociu
    cât şi în Uniunea Europeană. Soluţia este evidentă, pacea în Siria. Pentru asta
    trebuie să colaboreze toate părţile implicate. Faptul că, în ultima vreme,
    Rusia s-a angajat militar în Siria nu ajută la soluţionarea crizei, după
    părerea noastră, ci complică situaţia. Singura cale de ieşire din această criză
    este calea negocierii. Toate părţile implicate trebuie să fie aduse la masa
    negocierilor, şi atunci se vor găsi soluţii.

    Faptul că
    Bucureştiul mai are personal la ambasada din Damasc face ca Romania să
    poată fi un mediator pentru pace în zonă, crede preşedintele Iohannis. Opinie împărtăşită, recent, şi de ambasadorul american la NATO, Douglas Lute,
    care susţine că Bucureştiul ar putea contribui la o soluţie politică la criza
    siriană.

    Despre rolul de mediator al României în regiunea Orientului
    Mijlociu a vorbit şi preşedintele Comisiei pentru politică externă din Senat,
    Petru Filip. El se află în aceste zile, în fruntea unei delegaţii parlamentare, într-o
    vizită oficială în Israel şi teritoriile palestiniene.

    Intr-o declaraţie
    acordată corespondentului Radio România la Ierusalim, Petru Filip a dat mai
    multe detalii: Încercăm să păstrăm, să zicem, rolul de
    mediator pe care România, politic vorbind, l-a avut de zeci de ani în zonă, zic
    eu, cu beneficiu pentru România şi pentru poziţia diplomatică pe care România a
    avut-o în zona Orientului Mijlociu, nu mă refer numai la zona statului Israel
    cu această realitate palestiniană, dar mă refer şi la celelalte state din zonă.
    Încercăm, din punct de vedere politic, cel puţin, să fim activi în zonă, adică
    să ne remanifestăm disponibilitatea diplomatică de a fi, să spunem, un
    catalizator în ceea ce înseamnă pacea şi stabilitatea în zonă.     Petru Filip
    a reafirmat intenţia României de a sprijini perspectivele procesului de pace
    din Orientul Mijlociu, alături de partenerii internaţionali.

  • Romania, a Negotiator in the Middle East

    Romania, a Negotiator in the Middle East

    The refugee crisis and the developments in Syria rank high on the agenda of the European Council autumn session, taking place on Thursday and Friday in Brussels. The leaders of the 28 EU Member States, including Romanian president Klaus Iohannis, are looking for new solutions to handle the wave of migrants coming in from the Middle East and Northern Africa.



    Before heading off to Brussels, the president referred to the migration phenomenon, which generated many tensions within the EU. Klaus Iohannis said Romania was solidary with the other EU states and wanted to remain part of the solution. The important thing however, the president argues, is to identify the source of these refugees, and it is pretty obvious the main source is Syria, as the ongoing conflict there has prompted many people to flee.



    Klaus Iohannis: “The conflict in Syria is the cause of a huge number of refugees, both in other countries in the Middle East and in the European Union. The solution is obvious: ensuring peace in Syria. For that, all stakeholders must join forces. The fact that, in recent months, Russia has made military interventions in Syria does not help find a way out, and instead, we believe, it only makes matters worse. The only viable solution right now is to negotiate. All parties involved must sit at the negotiations table, and only then will a solution be at hand.



    The fact that Romanias embassy in Damascus is still operational might turn Romania in a mediator for peace in the region, the President believes. His view seems to be shared by the US Ambassador to NATO Douglas Lute, who says Bucharest might contribute to finding a political solution to the Syrian crisis. In turn, Petru Filip, the chairman of the Senates Foreign Policy Committee, also referred to Romanias role in the Middle East, during his official visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories.



    Petru Filip: “We are trying to preserve this role of political mediator, so to say, that Romania has had in the area for years. I believe this is a benefit for Romania and for Romanias policy in the Middle East. I dont only mean Israels relations with the Palestinian Authority, but also to the other states in the region. We are trying to be politically active in the area, and at least let the others know that our diplomatic missions are willing to mediate peace and stability in the area.



    Petru Filip also reiterated Romanias intention to support the peacekeeping efforts in the Middle East together with its international partners.

  • October 15, 2015

    October 15, 2015

    Leaders of the 28 EU member
    states gather in Brussels today for a
    fresh summit on migration. The Commission is preparing long-term
    measures to keep the inflow of immigrants under control, such as the reform of
    the European asylum-granting system and a permanent refugee – relocation
    scheme. The talks will focus on the aid granted to the countries surrounding
    Syria, with a view to stopping the wave of migrants, and cooperation with
    Turkey, a country that seems reluctant to contribute, according to France Presse, but which is already host to over 2 million Syrian refugees. At
    the summit, Romania is represented by president Klaus Iohannis. Before the summit, the Romanian head of
    state will have a meeting with the President of the European Parliament, Martin
    Schulz. Last night he held talks with Romanians working with the European
    institutions.




    The US presence in Europe is
    proof of that country’s strong commitment to world security, and its presence
    in Romania is to Bucharest ‘a reassurance factor’, the Romanian Foreign
    Minister Bogdan Aurescu has stated at a forum organized by the Aspen Romania
    Institute today. Aurescu made a review of the situation in the southern and
    eastern neighborhoods and the Middle East, saying that only a united
    Euro-Atlantic community can deal with the current threats and can project
    stability. Against this background, when the Euro-Atlantic community is at a
    crossroads, Romania can act as a strong ally on NATO’s and the EU’s eastern
    border and can use this position to create stability and prosperity in the
    region, minister Aurescu also said.




    The General Prosecutor of the
    Republic of Moldova has today called for the lifting of the parliamentary
    immunity of the former Prime Minister and Liberal Democrat leader Vlad Filat,
    according to the media in Chisinau. He is accused of direct involvement in the frauds
    committed at the Savings Bank, standing at hundreds of millions of Euros. The
    request was made against the background of growing tension within the Moldovan
    society, generated in particular by the scandal triggered by one billion
    dollars missing from three banks, including from the Savings Bank. The leader
    of the Liberal Democratic Party has stated that the action was carefully staged
    in advance. The party is a member of the ruling coalition in the Republic of
    Moldova, alongside the Democratic Party and the Liberal Party, but there have
    always been tensions between the three.




    The European Commission
    Vice-President in charge of Energy Union, Maros Sefcovic, is coming to
    Bucharest today, as part of a large-scale European tour. He will hold talks
    with members of the Romanian Parliament and Government and also with
    representatives of civil society and the industrial sector, whom he will
    introduce to the advantages of the Energy Union. The EC Vice-President will
    also attend a forum on energy strategy and security. Currently, the EU is the
    largest world importer of energy, namely 53% of the total energy it consumes.
    The energy union package is aimed at ensuring safe, sustainable energy, at
    affordable prices.




    The Romanian
    Government has approved a bill under which the legal framework is established
    for increasing the amount spent on an asylum-seeker. According to the new
    regulations, the amounts paid by the state for food have increased three times,
    and those for other expenses ten times. For the warm season, the total monthly
    expenses have been estimated at 250 Euro, and for the cold one, at 270 Euro,
    reads a communique issued by the Romanian Government. The law also establishes
    the conditions in which those who request international protection can benefit
    from the national health-care programs, can have access to the labor market and
    get unemployment benefits, as provided by law for the Romanian citizens. The
    bill will help consolidate the asylum-seekers rights, will increase the level
    of integration of these people into Romanian society and will also help prevent
    negative situations associated with illegal migration.




    A Romanian Parliamentary
    delegation headed by the Chair of the Senate’s Foreign Policy Committee, Petru
    Filip, is in Ramallah, the West Bank, for talks with members of the Palestinian
    Legislative Council. Yesterday in Israel, the Romanian senators had meetings
    with representatives of the Israeli Parliament and Government. On the occasion,
    they reiterated Romania’s intention to support the prospects of the peace
    process, alongside its international partners. The head of the Romanian
    delegation talked about Romania’s decade-long role as a mediator in the Middle
    East area. The formal visit of the Romanian parliamentary delegation to Israel
    and the Palestinian territories ends on October 17th.






    Romania’s foreign
    debt has this year dropped by 5 billion Euros, the National Bank has announced.
    More than half of this decrease is owed to the drop in the public debt by 3
    billion Euros. The data made public by Romania’s Central Bank reflects the
    situation as it was early last month, when the public debt went below 30
    billion Euros. In late August, the Romanian state had no debt to the
    International Monetary Fund.






    The Romanian
    Constitution guarantees the freedom of expression of religious beliefs and
    stipulates that all religious denominations are independent from the state and
    have the freedom to organize themselves in keeping with their own rules and
    regulations, reads the 2014 State Department’s Report on Religious Freedom. However,
    the document draws attention to the fact that, although the Romanian Government
    keeps implementing the recommendations made by the International Commission for
    the Study of the Holocaust in Romania, the pace of return of church properties
    seized by the previous regime, in particular those owned by the Greek-Catholic
    church, is very slow. The report mentions a number of incidents of an
    anti-Semite nature, such as statements, behaviors and even ceremonies
    commemorating Iron Guard politicians, stressing the fact that the Romanian
    authorities have started investigations into these matters. The ‘Wiesel’
    Institute continues to educate the public about the Holocaust and many Romanian
    politicians have publicly condemned anti-Semite and negationist attitudes,
    voiced in TV shows and in the online media, the State Department report also
    reads.