Radio România Internațional

Tag: Romanian military

  • Decisions on Afghanistan

    Decisions on Afghanistan

    The Romanian army will deploy 200 military for the evacuation
    and relocation of Afghan citizens who worked for NATO missions in Afghanistan. Our
    troops will head out in August and will stay for a maximum period of six
    months. The decision was taken on Wednesday by the country’s Supreme Defense
    Council. Council members decided to take action in order to bring to Romanian
    Afghan citizens, as well as journalists, human rights activists and
    magistrates, all endangered after the Taliban seized control of the country. According
    to the Presidency, the NATO operation will mainly consist in picking up Afghan
    citizens from temporary military bases in Kuwait and Qatar and relocating them
    to stationary bases on the territory of allied states, with the provision of
    key services.

    The Council also ruled to activate the National Coalition for the
    Integration of Refugees, and the Interior Ministry will be evaluate, in the
    shortest time possible, our country’s capacity to integrate Afghan refugees. At
    the same time, cooperation with the relevant European institutions will be
    stepped up, with FRONTEX first and foremost, as well as with neighboring
    states that might be targeted by possible migration waves coming from
    Afghanistan. Moreover, the Council underscored the need to improve coordination
    in terms of strategic communication and combating disinformation. For Romania,
    the change of regime in Afghanistan may spell consequences in terms of security
    and threats posed by extremism, terrorism, drug and arms trafficking and
    illegal migration, the Presidency release also reads. In this context,
    Bucharest will be taking all the necessary measures and will remain committed
    to defending the interests of Romania and its citizens, and will actively take
    part, alongside its allies, in the international effort to overcome this
    crisis.

    Council members also concluded
    that dealing with the fallout of the military withdrawal from Afghanistan in
    the short, medium and long term will be one of the major elements for improving
    cooperation between NATO and the EU, and Romania will be contributing to this
    effort. Approximately 40 Romanian citizens working in Afghanistan for private companies
    or international organizations and who expressed their intention to leave the
    country have been evacuated from Kabul onboard a Romanian military aircraft or
    transported by other aircraft of NATO states. (VP)



  • September 20, 2018 UPDATE

    September 20, 2018 UPDATE

    EU COUNCIL MEETING – President Klaus Iohannis on Thursday attended the informal meeting of the European Council held in the Austrian city of Salzburg. The President argued in favour of closer post-Brexit cooperation with London authorities in terms of foreign security and policy. Bucharest also wants the European Union to maintain a unitary and coherent voice in the negotiations with the UK in order to arrive at a Brexit agreement that is fair to all sides. Romania’s priority is protecting the rights and interests of its citizens who live in the UK and a close as possible a relationship between the EU and the UK after Brexit, the Romanian president also said. In terms of internal security, President Iohannis said Romania wants to strengthen European borders, both by means of regulations and by increasing FRONTEX personnel.



    MEETING — The leaders of the main ruling party in Romania, the Social-Democratic Party, will convene on Friday after an open letter signed by leading members of the party call on Liviu Dragnea to step down, both as party leader and as Chamber of Deputies Speaker. Cosigners claim Liviu Dragnea’s run-ins with the law have weakened the party’s position, particularly ahead of the European Parliament election of 2019 and the legislative election of 2020. They also want Prime Minister Viorica Dancila to be interim party president pending the organization of the next congress.



    REPATRIATION — Romanian Minister of Defence Mihai Fifor and US Ambassador to Bucharest Hans Klemm on Thursday attended a special ceremony in Campulung Muscel, southern Romania, hosted to welcome back the 30th Carpathian Eagles battalion. The mission of the Romanian military was to secure an important area around the military air base in Kandahar, in Afghanistan. They also provided training to the Afghan army. The battalion is mostly made up of military from the Dragoslavele 30th Mountain Troops Battalion who have also taken part in missions in theatres of operation in Kosovo, in 2005 and Afghanistan, in 2008. In April, the Mountain Troops from Campulung was the target of a car bomb attack. Eight military were initially believed to be injured, but in the end only one needed more thorough medical investigations at a hospital in Germany.



    EBRD — The president of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Suma Chakrabarti, has called on Bucharest authorities to step up reforms aimed at facilitating the development of infrastructure. Chakrabarti claims the EBRD is interested in funding investment projects in road and rail infrastructure and help privatize state enterprises. The statement follows after the EBRD president earlier this week attended the Three Seas Initiative summit in Bucharest. So far the EBRD has invested over 8 billion euros in Romania.



    RULING — The Constitutional Court of Romania has postponed for October 16 the debate on the notifications filed by president Klaus Iohannis and opposition parties regarding the administrative code. The president claims the draft law was passed by the Chamber of Deputies in an unconstitutional extraordinary session. Several articles are vague and the code eliminates an integrity criterion for appointing members of Government. In turn, the notification filed by the National Liberal Party and Save Romania Union claims special pensions for local officials stipulated under the administrative code are in breach of the principle according to which all citizens are equal before the law.



    TENNIS — Romanian tennis player Irina Begu on Thursday advanced to the quarterfinals of the Seoul tournament totaling 250 thousand dollars in prize money. Begu brushed aside Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland in straight sets. This is Begu’s first win against the Polish player. On Friday, Begu will take on Maria Sakkari of Greece.


    (Translated by C. Mateescu & V. Palcu)

  • Romania and the situation in Afghanistan

    Romania and the situation in Afghanistan

    The military of the Brave Hearts Force Protection Infantry Battalion based in Focsani have taken over the Romanian missions in the theatre of operations in Afghanistan. They replaced the Black Wolves 151st Battalion from Iasi and will take part in the NATO Resolute Support mission for the next 6 months. The responsibility of the more than 600 Romanian troops will focus on ensuring the security of the base in Kandahar, carrying out patrols jointly with the coalition troops and the Afghan army and police forces.



    The Romanian military will also ensure the security of the biggest airport in southern Afghanistan. The region is still problematic as far as security is concerned. The most recent incident in which a Romanian military was also wounded took place two weeks ago. According to the defence ministry in Bucharest, 25 Romanian soldiers have been killed in operations in Afghanistan, in which Romania has been taking part since 2001.



    Another 100 Romanian military have been wounded in this theatre of operations. The takeover of new troops comes after US president Donald Trump announced early this week that he would boost the military campaign against Taliban insurgents. He ruled out a possible US withdrawal from Afghanistan, saying a quick pullout would create a void that may be taken advantage of by the “terrorists”, both from Al-Qaida and the Islamic State.



    The Pentagon is still to decide the number of additional troops to be deployed to Afghanistan, while also working on a plan, the US defence secretary James Mattis has announced. According to a number of US officials, Trump authorised Mattis to deploy around 4,000 troops to join the roughly 8,400 stationed at the moment in Afghanistan. Along with other NATO allies, Romania has welcomed Donald Trump’s announcement. Its defence minister Adrian Tutuianu said Bucharest, which is the fourth biggest contributor of troops to NATO, may increase the number of troops taking part in the Resolute Support mission.



    The conflict in Afghanistan is the longest in the modern history of the United States. It began after the Al-Qaida attacks of September 2001, when the leader of this terrorist network, Osama Bin Laden, was harboured by Afghanistan’s Taliban regime at the time. The Taliban were quickly defeated by the US forces, but an insurrection began and they are gaining more and more ground recently. The NATO mission to Afghanistan officially came to an end in 2014, while the around 13,500 military there, mostly American, are responsible for the training and counselling of the Afghan security forces.

  • February 2, 2017

    February 2, 2017

    EMERGENCY ORDINANCE — Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis today announced he has notified the Constitutional Court regarding the Government’s emergency ordinance modifying criminal legislation, which creates a legal conflict between the Government, Parliament and the judiciary, thus breaching the Constitution, the president has argued. Klaus Iohannis has also criticized the Interior Ministry for the way it handled last night’s protest, when an isolated group of people resorted to violence. The President claims the Ministry and the riot police had been duly informed regarding the risk of such incidents aimed at compromising the protest. In turn, Interior Minister Carmen Dan said she received no information regarding any intention to instigate violence in last night’s protest. We recall that unprecedented protests were staged in Bucharest and many other cities across the country against the Government’s decision to modify the criminal codes by emergency ordinance. Protesters called on the Government to withdraw the ordinance and step down. Romanians in the Diaspora also protested the Government’s decision. Florin Jianu, Minister for the Business Sector, has stepped down.



    DEBATE ON THE PROTESTS — The recent street protests staged in the wake of the Government’s ordinance modifying the criminal legislation were the subject of a heated debate in the European Parliament today. Romanian MEPs, members of the European People’s Party called for withdrawing the ordinance, while the representatives of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats and the Social-Democratic Party, claimed the protesters were trying to overthrow a legitimate Government. The European Commission has called on the Romanian Government to re-evaluate the ordinance. In turn, the Embassies of France, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Canada and the United States in Bucharest have expressed their deep concern regarding the Government’s actions, which they see as undermining Romania’s progress regarding the rule of law and the fight against corruption in the last ten years.



    REACTION — The Pro Democratia Association, one of the oldest and most respected NGOs in Romania, has expressed concern with respect to the rapid and serious degradation of democracy in Romania, also in connection with the concerted attack of political forces on the fundamental principles of the rule of law and human rights. The systematic campaign against democracy saw its apex with the adoption of a controversial Government emergency ordinance modifying the criminal and criminal procedure codes, which seems to be preventing certain political leaders and their election and financial contributors from facing criminal justice. The Association calls on those responsible to stop all attacks on institutions, organizations and the principles of the rule of law and human rights and the immediate and unrestricted withdrawal of the emergency ordinance criticized by the general public.



    BUDGET FOR 2017 — Romanian MPs can file amendments to the draft laws on the state and social security budgets for 2017, before the report of the Budget and Finance committees can elaborate a final report on the two bills this coming weekend. On Monday, the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies will debate the two laws, and a final vote is scheduled for Tuesday. The draft budget for 2017 is based on an economic growth of 5.2%, and a budget deficit below 3% of the GDP. The Government estimates an inflation rate of 1.4% and an unemployment rate of 4.3%. According to Finance Minister, Viorel Stefan, investment, healthcare, education and infrastructure will be given special importance over the coming period.



    TENNIS — The best-rated Romanian tennis player, Simona Halep, WTA no. 4, has qualified to the quarterfinals of the Sankt Petersburg tournament in Russia, totalling over 700,000 dollars in prize money. On Friday, Halep will play Natalia Vikhlyantseva of Russia, who in the second round ousted her better-seeded co-national, Daria Kasatkina. Halep is the tournament’s no. 1 seed. In the women’s doubles, Irina Begu and Monica Niculescu will take on Daria Gavrilova of Australia and Kristina Mladenovic of France. (Translated by V. Palcu)


  • July 25, 2016 UPDATE

    July 25, 2016 UPDATE

    MEETING — Romania’s Supreme Defence Council meet on Tuesday in Bucharest to analyse the way in which Romania’s concerns are reflected in the final documents of the NATO summit of the 8th and 9th of July in Warsaw. The Council will also establish the measures and actions that need to be taken to implement the decisions adopted, the president’s office has said. President Klaus Iohannis said the NATO summit in Warsaw was a success, with all of Romania’s concerns being included in the final documents. These refer to a balancing of the measures taken as part of the country’s new defence and deterrence roles on the eastern flank, the president explained.



    ATTACKS — The death toll following the attacks in Afghanistan has reached a record level this year, according to a UN report. More than 1,600 civilians have been killed and 3,565 wounded in the first half of 2016, the highest number of victims since 2009. According to the report, a third of the victims are children, most of whom were killed in the explosion of makeshift bombs. The United Nations has described the situation as “alarming and shameful”, with the anti-governmental forces being responsible for the death of the highest number of civilians.



    MISSION — The Romanian White Sharks 341st infantry battalion left on Monday for the theatre of operations in Afghanistan. According to the defence ministry in Bucharest, the Romanian military are ready to act as part of the NATO Resolute Support mission to ensure the protection of the military basis in Kandahar and provide counselling to the Afghan security forces. The 341st infantry battalion is an elite unit of the Romanian Army and has so far carried out international missions in Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan.



    ELECTIONS — The National Liberal Party in Romania has called on the Government to pass an emergency ordinance providing for the setup of a number of polling stations equal to that used in the second round of the 2014 presidential elections, apart from polling stations in embassies and consular offices at the upcoming parliamentary elections in autumn. The Liberals also want for citizens to be able to register by e-mail for the vote. The interest of Romanians in the Diaspora in the legislative elections remains low. Less than three thousand Romanian citizens living abroad have signed up with the Election Registry. 2,000 applications have been sent from Spain and Italy, home to large numbers of Romanians.




    TURKEY – The association of European Magistrates for Democracy and Liberty (MEDEL) urged the NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg to demand Turkey to free the thousands of judges and prosecutors who were arrested a week ago after the failed coup. The appeal comes as Turkish president Recep Tyyip Erdogan reiterated his support for reintroducing the death penalty if the Turkish people so wish. Erdogan also said he would disregard the position of the European Union in this matter. In another move, Bratislava on Monday played host to an informal meeting of ministers and secretaries of state responsible for European affairs to discuss the situation in Turkey. Romanian State Secretary for European Affairs Cristian Badescu expressed Bucharest’s support for a concerted and effective European response to the challenges of migration, based on a thorough approach, focusing on the enactments of commitments, cooperation with third countries and consolidating the EU’s external borders.



    GERMANY — 12 people were wounded on Sunday night in the German town of Ansbach in a suicide bombing. According to the Bavarian authorities, a 27-year-old Syrian refugee exploded the bomb in front of a building hosting a music festival. Also on Sunday, a Syrian national killed one person and injured two in a machete attack in Baden-Wurttemberg, in south-western Germany. The two incidents occurred against the backdrop of a tense security climate after Friday’s attack in Munich when an 18-year-old Iranian-German national killed 9 people and injured 35. In the fourth attack last week, several passengers were wounded on a train by a young Afghan refugee who used a knife and a hatchet.



    TENNIS – Two Romanian tennis players, world no. 5 Simona Halep, and world no. 61 Monica Niculescu are competing in a tournament in Montreal worth 2.4 million dollars. In the first round, Niculescu faces the Latvian player Jelena Ostapenko. If she qualifies to the next round, she will meet world no. 4 Agnieszka Radwanska. Halep, who goes straight into the second round, will face the winner between Australia’s Daria Gavrilova and Germany’s Annika Beck. Last year, Halep made it to the final in Montreal, from which she pulled out with an injury, reliquinshing the title to the Swiss player Belinda Bencic.



    FOOTBALL — Romania’s football vice-champions Steaua Bucharest on Tuesday take on the Czech side Sparta Prague in an away game, as part of the first leg of the Champions League third preliminary round. As part of the same stage, Romanian champions Astra Giurgiu face the Danish side FC Copenhagen on Wednesday at home. On Thursday, in the first leg of the Europa League third preliminary round, Viitorul Constanta face the Belgian side Gent away, while Pandurii Targu Jiu play at home against the Israeli side Maccabi Tel Aviv. The third Romanian side playing in the Europa League, CSMS Iasi, were eliminated in the previous round by the Croatian side Hajduk Split.


    (Translated by V. Palcu and C. Mateescu)