Radio România Internațional

Tag: Saber Guardian 17

21 July, 2017

MOLDOVA – The
Moldovan Prime Minister Pavel Filip has thanked Romania for the constant
support this country has provided to the Republic of Moldova, a former Soviet
state with a predominantly Romanian-speaking population. He made the statement
after meeting in Chisinau his Romanian counterpart Mihai Tudose, with whom he
discussed means of boosting bilateral cooperation. The agenda of the Romanian
PM’s visit does not include a meeting with the pro-Russia socialist president
Igor Dodon. The visit to Chisinau is Tudose’s second official visit as prime
minister after his investiture in mid June. Last week he paid a visit to
Brussels, where he told EU officials that Romania bears a huge responsibility
with regard to safeguarding Moldova’s pro-European path.

SABER GUARDIAN 17
– In a communiqué issued on Friday, the Romanian Defense Ministry has announced
that Saber Guardian 17, the largest military exercise ever held in Romania has
reached its end. Saber Guardian 17 unfolded simultaneously on Romanian, Bulgarian
and Hungarian soil, following a fictional scenario involving the participation
of 25,000 military and some 3,000 pieces of equipment, including 90
fire-fighters and carriers. According to the scenario, they carried out
operations to free part of a territory occupied by a hostile force. Previously,
the Foreign Ministry too had hailed Romania’s hosting this exercise led by the
US Army Europe, saying the exercise was firm evidence of solidarity and
confirmation of the strength of the trans-Atlantic alliance and of the
strategic partnership between Romania and the US, which started 20 years ago.

ROMANIAN DIASPORA
– The Romanian Government has changed the procedure of granting
non-reimbursable funding for activities carried out by Romanians outside the
country’s borders. According to the Government, besides improving and rendering
the funding system more flexible, funds will also be available for projects
that are aimed at maintaining the ties between Romanians in the Diaspora and
the mother land and at promoting their interests. The Minister Delegate for
Romanians Abroad Andreea Pastarnac has stated that the bill changes provisions
that have been in place for 11 years, and which now meet the expectations of
the Romanian communities abroad . She has also announced the
launch of an information campaign, for the Romanians who want to work, study
and live abroad, called Informed at home, safe in the world!. The campaign
will start next month and is aimed at bringing to the attention of all
stakeholders their rights, but also the risks they are faced with, when taking
the decision to work abroad.

EARTHQUAKE – The
Romanian Foreign Ministry has announced that there have been no Romanian
citizens requesting assistance in the aftermath of the earthquake that shattered
the south-west of Turkey on Friday morning. The Romanian Embassy in Athens and
the General Consulate in Izmir have called on the local authorities to provide
them with information regarding the consequences of the earthquakes and
potential Romanian victims. The quake, measuring 6.7 on the Richter scale was
felt especially in the city of Bodrum and in the neighboring Greek islands in
the Aegean sea and claimed at least two lives.

FOOTBALL – The
Romanian football squad Astra Giurgiu has qualified for Europa League’s third
preliminary round, after ending 0-0 the match against the Azerbaijani team Zira
FK, the decisive leg of the second round. In the first leg, on home turf, in
southern Romania, Astra had won 3-1. Next week, Astra Giurgiu will take on the
Ukrainian team FK Oleksandria. Also in the third preliminary round of Europa
League, CS Universitatea Craiova will play against the famous AC Milan, and
Dinamo Bucharest will take on Athletic Bilbao. In the Champions League, the new
holder of the national title, FC Viitorul Constanta, will play against APOEL
Nicosia, and vice-champion FCSB (former Steaua Bucharest) will meet the Czechs
from FC Viktoria Plzen.

21 July 2017
July 18, 2017 UPDATE

PRESIDENCY– Romanian President Klaus Iohannis on Tusday stated he favoured administrative decentralization but not autonomy on ethnic criteria, which would be an obstacle to development. During his visit to the counties of Harghita and Covasna, in central Romania, the only Romanian counties with a predominantly Hungarian population, President Iohannis has stated he is concerned about the future of the young people there, who do not speak Romanian and who thus have fewer opportunities on the labor market. Iohannis has also said that intolerance and the rejection of people with different ethnic origins, by either a minority or a majority group, tend to block the country as a whole. He has also said that, in spite of their tourist potential, the counties of Harghita and Covasna hardly attract any investors. The Hungarian community in Romania, made up of around 1.5 million members, is concentrated in Transylvania, in central Romania. This community has been represented in Romanias Parliament uninterruptedly, since 1990, by the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania (UDMR) which has been part of many coalition governments in Bucharest.

BRUSSELS– Four months after the European Commission presented its White Paper on the future of the EU, the debate on the future of Europe is picking up speed with potentially over 30 million citizens involved, the European Commission announced in a communiqué on Tuesday. In the White Paper, the European Commission presented five scenarios for how the EU could develop in the next decade. A broad debate has since been taking place, supported by political institutions and by civil society. To date, over 270,000 citizens have attended some 1,750 events organised or supported by the Commission with many more participating online. Citizens are invited to continue to express their views, notably prior to the annual State of the European Union speech on 13 September 2017, when President Juncker will outline his vision for the future of Europe.

PROJECT– Romanian Prime Minister Mihai Tudose has proposed his Bulgarian counterpart, Boiko Borisov to connect Bucharest to Sofia and Athens through a high speed railway. The two PMs have also talked over the phone about speeding up projects for the construction of two new bridges over the Danube. Tudose and Borisov have agreed to hold a joint meeting of the Romanian and Bulgarian governments in September, when the details of a Romania, Bulgaria, Greece trilateral cooperation are to be set.

ANAF – Romanias Prime Minister Mihai Tudose has appointed Mirela Calugareanu as President of the National Fiscal Administration (ANAF). She is replacing Bogdan-Nicolae Stan, who was sacked under a Prime Ministers decree. On Monday, the president of the main party in the ruling coalition, the Social Democrat Liviu Dragnea, stated that he had called on PM Tudose to conduct a rigorous analysis of ANAFs activity and to take the necessary measures to render the institution more effective. Dragnea was unhappy mainly with the level of taxes and fees collected to the state budget.

MEASLES – The Romanian Health Minister Florian Bodog has announced that a set of measures will be implemented, in cooperation with the Interior Ministry, to curb the effects of the measles epidemic. Also, this week the Health Ministry has started an information campaign aimed at encouraging vaccination. Romania is faced with the biggest measles epidemic of the past years. So far, some 8000 cases have been reported. 31 patients have died.

SABER GUARDIAN 17 – Saber Guardian 17, one of the largest and most complex NATO exercises in recent years continues in Romania. Some 8,000 Romanian and foreign soldiers are participating in the exercise, which also unfolds on Hungarian and Bulgarian soil. In the past day, soldiers have taken part in training sessions at the bases in Borducani and Cincu, in central Romania, but also in a MASCAL simulation held at the Mihail Kogalniceanu air base, in the south-east of the country.

RATING– Fitch Ratings has improved Romanias economic growth outlook for 2017 from 4.8% to 5.1%. The Agency forecasts that Romanias budget deficit this year will reach 3.7% of the GDP, which is more than the Romanian governments target of 2.9% of the GDP. Structural deficit is expected to reach 3.9% of the GDP, the current account deficit 3.1% of the GDP and the public debt 39.9% of the GDP, Fitch agency has also announced. The Romanian governments projection for 2017 is a 5.2% economic growth rate, as compared to the one estimated by the European Commission, of only 4.4%.

IRAQ – Iraq needs massive investments to rebuild the towns and cities destroyed in the fights with the Islamic State terrorist organisation, said the Iraqi ambassador to Romania Hussain Sinjari. He has called on Romanian business people to take part in this effort, in particular to rebuild schools, hospitals and roads. Investments in agriculture are also needed, especially with regard to irrigation. Hussain Sinjari has stated that the Iraqi embassy in Romania is ready to ensure rapid access to such potential investors, by speeding the visa grating process.

18 July 2017
July 15, 2017 UPDATE

WIMBLEDON – The women’s doubles final at Wimbledon on Saturday ended after only 54 minutes. The pair made up of Monica Niculescu of Romania and Hao-Ching Chan of Taiwan stood no chance before the Russians Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina, who won 6-0, 6-0. In the semi-finals on Friday, Niculescu and Chan had defeated the Japanese/Czech pair Makoto Ninomiya/Renata Voracova 7-6, 4-6, 9-7.

SABER GUARDIAN 17 – On Saturday, Romanias President Klaus Iohannis attended the exercise Saber Guardian 17, which is unfolding at the Cincu shooting range in central Romania. Participating are military staff from most NATO countries but also from the neighboring countries. This is the largest military exercise in Romanias modern history. 10 battle and logistics ships, 12 vessels and 18 ground battle vehicles of the Romanian Naval Forces carry out sea, air and ground drills alongside 25,000 Romanian and foreign soldiers. General Petr Pavel, the Chairman of the NATO Military Committee, who is also attending the exercise, has stated that Bucharest is a reliable ally and has appreciated Romanias significant contribution to NATOs missions and operations, being one of the first 10 contributors to the mission in Afghanistan.

ROMANIA-CHINA COMMITTEE – Prime Minister Mihai Tudose will set up a Romania – China Inter-ministerial Committee, whose goal would be to analyze bilateral projects. The announcement was made after the event “2017 China -Central and East European Countries Political Parties Dialogue”, organized in Bucharest by the ruling Social Democratic Party and a meeting with Liu Yunshan, a top level official of the Chinese Communist Party. During the proceedings hosted by Romanias Parliament, the Chinese official said that Beijing intends to develop new platforms of communication and cooperation with the central and eastern countries, especially as regards large scale projects. According to the head of the Social Democratic Party Liviu Dragnea, the Chinese authorities are very much interested in serious investments in infrastructure in Romania, such as motorways and high-speed railways. The parties also discussed the resumption of the Bucharest – Beijing flights and a better organizations of foodstuff exports.

MEASLES EPIDEMIC – The number of officially confirmed cases of measles has reached 8000 in Romania, according to the National Centre for Infectious Disease Surveillance and Control. The epidemic is spread across the country, and the largest numbers of cases were reported in the counties of Timis (west), Caras-Severin (south-west) and Arad (west). Three quarters of the cases were reported in children under 10, with the 1-4 years old age group being the most affected, with 3,100 cases. So far, the epidemic that broke out late last year has claimed 31 lives.

COMMEMORATION – Turkey has organized a string of events to mark one year since the failed coup of July 2016. 15 July has been declared a day of national celebration. President Recep Tayyp Erdogan and his supporters claim that the victory against the failed coup in 2016 marked a revival of the nation. To others, though, the events back where less triumphant. The NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has voiced support for the Turkish citizens who opposed the attempted coup and said that attempts to undermine democracy in the allied countries are unacceptable. Some 50,000 people were arrested and 150,000 have been sacked or suspended from office because of their involvement in the failed coup.

15 July 2017
July 15, 2017

SABER GUARDIAN 17 – On Saturday, Romanias President Klaus Iohannis attended the exercise Saber Guardian 17 , which is unfolding at the Cincu shooting range in central Romania. Participating are military staff from most NATO countries but also from the neighboring countries. This is the largest military exercise in Romanias modern history. 10 battle and logistics ships, 12 vessels and 18 ground battle vehicles of the Romanian Naval Forces carry out sea, air and ground drills alongside 25,000 Romanian and foreign soldiers. General Petr Pavel, the Chairman of the NATO Military Committee, who is also attending the exercise, has stated that Bucharest is a reliable ally and has appreciated Romanias significant contribution to NATOs missions and operations, being one of the first 10 contributors to the mission in Afghanistan.

ROMANIA-CHINA COMMITTEE – Prime Minister Mihai Tudose will set up a Romania – China Inter-ministerial Committee, whose goal would be to analyze bilateral projects. The announcement was made after the event “2017 China -Central and East European Countries Political Parties Dialogue”, organized in Bucharest by the ruling Social Democratic Party and a meeting with Liu Yunshan, a top level official of the Chinese Communist Party. During the proceedings hosted by Romanias Parliament, the Chinese official said that Beijing intends to develop new platforms of communication and cooperation with the central and eastern countries, especially as regards large scale projects. According to the head of the Social Democratic Party Liviu Dragnea, the Chinese authorities are very much interested in serious investments in infrastructure in Romania, such as motorways and high-speed railways. The parties also discussed the resumption of the Bucharest – Beijing flights and a better organizations of foodstuff exports.

MEASLES EPIDEMIC – The number of officially confirmed cases of measles has reached 8000 in Romania, according to the National Centre for Infectious Disease Surveillance and Control. The epidemic is spread across the country, and the largest numbers of cases were reported in the counties of Timis (west), Caras-Severin (south-west) and Arad (west). Three quarters of the cases were reported in children under 10, with the 1-4 years old age group being the most affected, with 3,100 cases. So far, the epidemic that broke out late last year has claimed 31 lives.

COMMEMORATION – Turkey has organized a string of events to mark one year since the failed coup of July 2016. 15 July has been declared a day of national celebration. President Recep Tayyp Erdogan and his supporters claim that the victory against the failed coup in 2016 marked a revival of the nation. To others, though, the events back where less triumphant. The NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has voiced support for the Turkish citizens who opposed the attempted coup and said that attempts to undermine democracy in the allied countries are unacceptable. Some 50,000 people were arrested and 150,000 have been sacked or suspended from office because of their involvement in the failed coup.

15 July 2017
13 July, 2017

Military exercise.
Romanian Navy troops are taking part in the Saber Guardian 17 exercise, the
biggest in Romania’s modern history. 10 battle ships and logistics ships, 12
boats and 18 land combat units of the Romanian Navy are taking part in sea,
land and air activities alongside around 25,000 Romanian and foreign military.
President Klaus Iohannis visited the Mihail Kogalniceanu administrative centre,
in the south-east, to meet the Romanian and British pilots taking part in the
strengthened air police mission and the Chairman of the NATO Military
Committee, general Petr Pavel. The latter is on a trip to Romania until
Saturday at the invitation of the Romanian Chief of Staff Nicolae Ciuca. On
Saturday, president Iohannis will attend a multinational military exercise at
the Cincu shooting range in the centre.

Bastille Day. US
president Donald Trump today travels to Paris for a two-day official visit. He
will meet his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron and attend the annual Bastille
Day parade on the 14th of July as a guest of honour. Trump will also
meet US military and civilian staff. According to France Presse news agency,
Macron invited Trump to Paris to attend the Bastille Day festivities last
month, with the parade also including US troops this year to mark the 100th
anniversary of the United States’ joining the allied forces in WWI. The last
time a US president attended a military parade in France was in 1989, for the
anniversary of 200 years since the French Revolution.

Measles outbreak. Romania is confronted with the biggest
measles epidemic in recent years. 31 persons have died and 7,500 have become
sick since September last year when the epidemic broke out. The European office
of the World Health Organisation has recently confirmed that the measles
outbreak continues to spread in Europe. More than 3,300 cases have been
reported in Italy, including 2 deaths, since June last year. One person died in
Germany and another in Portugal, according to national public health
authorities. According to the World Health Organisation, Europe has made
significant progress in recent decades to eradicate measles, which is no longer
endemic in 37 countries. However, there are still areas where the immunisation
rate is very low, which allows this extremely contagious virus to spread among
the people who have not received vaccination.

Football. The Court
of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland, has today ruled that FC
Viitorul remain the Romanian football champions, thus upholding a decision of the
Romanian governing bodies. FC Viitorul and FCSB finished with the same number of
points, but Viitorul were declared champions based on a better head-to-head
record during the final phase of the competition. The runner-up side, FCSB, had
appealed the decision saying they should be champions because of a better
record during the entire season. Also today, the Romanian football side Astra
Giurgiu are facing Zira FK from Azerbaijan at home in the first leg of the
Europa League second preliminary round. The second leg will take place on the
20th of July in Baku.

Tennis. On Friday, the Romanian-Taiwanese pair Monica
Niculescu and Hao-Ching Chan are facing the Japanese-Czech pair Makota Ninomiya
and Renata Voracova for a place in the women’s doubles final at Wimbledon.
Niculescu and Chan reached the semifinals after defeating the American-Czech
pair CiCi Bellis and Marketa Vondrousova in two sets. This is Niculescu’s best
doubles result in a Grand Slam tournament, having reached the quarterfinals at
Roland Garros in 2010 and the Australian Open in 2012. Romania’s highest ranked
player Simona Halep, who is number two in the world, was defeated in the
quarterfinals by the British player Johanna Konta.

13 July 2017
July 12, 2017 UPDATE

U.S. ATLANTIC COUNCIL — Romanian foreign minister Teodor Melescanu has held talks with a delegation of the U.S. Atlantic Council on Romania’s role as an essential ally of the United States and about the vital importance of the bilateral relationship between the two countries. According to a communiqué issued by the Romanian Foreign Ministry, the U.S. delegation was led by the executive vice-president of the Atlantic Council, Damon Vilson, who was accompanied by former U.S. ambassadors to Central and Eastern Europe. The two sides also exchanged opinions on the situation in the extended Black Sea region, underlining the current multiple challenges to security, the communiqué also writes.

PATRIOT MISSILES – The US Ambassador to Bucharest, Hans Klemm, on Wednesday congratulated Romanian authorities, in the context of the announcement made by the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, on the purchase by Bucharest of seven Patriot missile systems. The statement was made during a meeting with the Romanian Dfense Minister Adrian Tutuianu. The latter said that this programme will strengthen Romania’s defense capability, NATO’s eastern flank, and will develop and consolidate the strategic partnership between Romania and the US. The US State Department agreed to the sale of Patriot missiles to Romania, a deal worth 3.9 billion dollars, according to a statement from the Pentagon, quoted by Reuters. If the deal goes through, dozens of government representatives and contractors would come to Romania to install equipment, check systems, and provide training and logistical and technical support.

MEETING – Romanian PM Mihai Tudose on Wednesday met with Defense Minister Adrian Tutuianu, Economy Minister Mihai Fifor and head of the Romanian Army General Staff, general Nicolae Ciuca. The meeting focused on the equipping of the Romanian Army, as Bucharest has earmarked 2% of the GDP for this purpose. The officials analysed the needs of the Romanian army by also taking into account the capability of the Romanian defense industry.

JERUSALEM –The Speaker of the Romanian Chamber of Deputies Liviu Dragnea is on an official visit to Israel, upon an invitation extended by the Speaker of the Knesset, Yuli-Yoel Edelstein. According to Radio Romania correspondent, consultations are being held as part of the Knesset meeting on developing cooperation between the two states at a parliamentary level. Liviu Dragneas visit also includes a tour of the Yad Vashem museum.

MILITARY — The Romanian Navy takes part these days in the Saber Guardian 17 multinational exercise, participating with 745 sailors, 10 warships, 12 support ships, and 18 vehicles. The exercise ends on July 22nd, and is the biggest exercise in Romanias modern history, held in three countries, Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary. 21 national integrated and connected drills are scheduled, bringing together around 25,000 troops from 22 states. Saber Guardian 17, planned by the US European Command, is meant to showcase the deterrence and reaction capacity of allied forces in a collective defense scenario, using power projection, according to a press release from the Defense Ministry in Bucharest.

TENNIS –Romanian tennis player Monica Niculescu, who paired up in the doubles with Taiwanese Chan Hao-Ching on Wednesday defeated the US-Czech pair CiCi Bellis- Marketa Vondrousova, 6-3, 6-4 and qualified to the semi-finals in Wibledon. We remind you that Romanias best tennis player, Simona Halep, number two in the world, failed to qualify to the Wimbledon semi-finals on Tuesday. In the quarter finals, she was defeated by British player Johanna Konta, 6-7, 7-6, 6-4. Had she won, Halep would have moved to first place in the WTA standings, after having defeated in the eighth finals current number one, German player Angelique Kerber.

(Translated by Elena Enache)

12 July 2017