Ukraine marks 1,000 days since Russia’s full scale invasion of its territory, but also 1,000 days of solidarity from the democratic world.
In an exclusive interview to RRI’s Eugen Cojocariu, the Ambassador of Ukraine to Romania, H.E. Ihor Prokopciuc, recounts not only his country’s moments of fierce fight for freedom and independence but also the support Ukraine and the Ukrainian people have received from Romania and the world.
THE STATE OF THE ECONOMY– Romanias technocratic Prime Minister, Dacian Ciolos, will go to Parliament to present the economic situation of the country, the government spokesperson, Liviu Iolu announced on Thursday. The spokesman said the Prime Minister is thus answering the request made on Thursday, too, in an open letter, by the president of the leftist Social Democratic Party, Liviu Dragnea. The Social Democrats leader claims, among others, it is high time the cabinet presented its official stand on such measures as establishing a ceiling for child rearing benefits and increasing taxes on incomes from independent activities.
ANTI-CORRUPTION – Romanias president Klaus Iohannis on Thursday approved a request by the National Anti-corruption Directorate to start prosecuting former interior minister Petre Toba. The latter is suspected of aiding some of his staff accused of embezzlement. As a result of the scandal, Toba resigned and was replaced by Dragos Tudorache. The priorities of the new minister include the good organisation of the parliamentary elections on December 11.
DIPLOMACY – Romanian foreign minister, Lazar Comanescu, on Thursday met in Bucharest with Turkish deputy prime minister, Veysi Kaynak. On this occasion, Comanescu reiterated Romanias openness towards boosting bilateral ties, particularly trade relations. In another move, the Romanian foreign minister reiterated Romanias interest in maintaining stability in Turkey, a NATO member and a key partner of the EU. Comanescu also gave assurances that Romania would like Turkey to join the EU. According to the Romanian Foreign Ministry, the visit by the Turkish deputy prime minister is proof of the dynamic and fast pace of the political dialogue between the two countries.
ROMANIAN-UKRAINIAN RELATIONS – Romania is one of the most important supporters of Ukraines independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, said the Ukrainian charge daffaires in Bucharest, Teofil Rendiuk at a reception to celebrate Ukraines National Day. Rendiuk also said Romania may become Ukraines new strategic partner and that the two countries have an excellent dialogue adapted to the current geopolitical and geostrategic situation. Bucharest was a firm critic of Russias annexation of the Crimean peninsula and voiced its support for Ukraines sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity within this countrys internationally recognised borders.
REP. OF MOLDOVA – Nicolae Timofti, the president of the ex-Soviet Republic of Moldova, with a majority Romanian-speaking population, has refused to travel to the meeting of heads of state of the Commonwealth of Independent States to be held next week in the capital of Kyrgyzstan. The Moldovan delegation may thus be headed by Prime Minister Pavel Filip. Moldovas pro-western president Nicolae Timofti, who is nearing the end of his term in office, did not attend the summit last year, either, following a tough exchange with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in 2014 most likely over Moldovas signing the association agreement with the European Union and Russias embargo as a result.
CHRISTIAN HOLY DAY – Christians across the world, including the majority Orthodox Romania, on Thursday celebrated the Feast of the Nativity of Mary, which is known as Little Mary in the traditional calendar. According to Christian tradition, Mary, the mother of Jesus, was born through a miracle. She is believed to be the greatest of all saints and is dedicated four days in the Christian calendar: Nativity, Entry into the Temple, Annunciation and Assumption. Around 2.2 million people are named after Mary in Romania.
SAILING – An international regatta of large sailboats began on Thursday in the Romanian port of Constanta. 13 sailboats from five different countries will be docked for four days in the passenger harbour, where they can be visited free of charge. Romania is represented in the race by the Mircea training ship and the countrys largest civilian sailboat, Adornate. Romanian navy personnel will take part in various sports competitions and a crew parade on Friday. (Translated by D. Vijeu)
Just like his predecessor, Traian Basescu, just like the Romanian Government, Parliament and Foreign Ministry, the new head of the Romanian state was adamant in disapproving of the aggressive actions of Russia, which a year ago annexed the Crimean Peninsula in Southern Ukraine and then supported the secessionist revolt in the East of that country.
President Klaus Iohannis: “Romania stands for EU sanctions to be further imposed on the Russian Federation as long as there is no full compliance with the Minsk ceasefire or if the situation on the ground continues to deteriorate.”
During his talks with Ukrainian president Petro Porosenko in Kiev, president Iohannis confirmed that Romania also wanted the deepening of Romanian-Ukrainian relations and Ukraine’s EU accession. Actually, president Porosenko thanked president Iohannis for Romania’s support for Ukraine’s European undertaking and recalled that last year, Romania had been the first state to ratify the association and free trade agreements concluded by Ukraine with the EU.
President Porosenko told the joint press conference that Ukraine had contracts on the delivery of defensive weaponry with 11 EU member states and he wouldn’t mention any state in particular. They also agreed with several countries on the training of Ukrainian military and in Berlin and in Kiev with president Iohannis, they agreed that Ukrainian wounded soldiers undergo treatment in Germany and Romania.
It will not be the first time when the victims of violence in Ukraine are going to be taken to Romanian hospitals. In early 2014, also for humanitarian reasons, people injured in the crackdown of pro-Western protesters in Kiev by the former pro-Russian regime were admitted to hospitals in Bucharest. Porosenko went on to say that the creation of a direct Kiev-Bucharest airline was being looked into and that issues had been addressed such as cross border traffic and the visa waiver for Ukrainians traveling to Europe.
They are all confidence-building initiatives. Romanian-Ukrainian relations have not been flawless over time, to mention the Romanian-Ukrainian dispute over the delimitation of the Black Sea continental shelf, which was settled by the International Court of Justice in favour of Romania, the rights of nearly half a million ethnic Romanians living in Western Ukraine, the idea of the former administrations in Kiev to build a man-made canal in the Danube Delta, with serious consequences on the environment and the retrieval of the investment made by Romania in the former Soviet aggregate works in Kirvoi Rog during the communist regime. Ukraine’s pro-Western stance and the adoption of European values in Kiev would benefit Romania too.