Radio România Internațional

Tag: Strategic Partnership

  • Romanian-US defense cooperation

    Romanian-US defense cooperation

    “Romania joins the US and its allies in its complete show of solidarity for Ukraine. We will continue to deliver multidimensional support for Ukraine’s defensive efforts against the Russian aggression”, the Romanian Defense Minister Angel Tîlvăr told his US counterpart, Lloyd Austin, in a phone conversation on Wednesday. Talks mainly focused on security developments in the context of Russia’s aggression in Ukraine and unconditional support for this country. Both parties reiterated the importance of maintaining trans-Atlantic unity in the current security climate. The two officials reiterated the need to carry on bilateral efforts with a view to consolidating Euro-Atlantic security and strengthening the Romania-United States Strategic Partnership. The Partnership remains a key priority for Romania and the Defense Ministry, Angel Tîlvăr pointed out. We continue to make headway in the development of joint projects, thus consolidating cooperation in the military sector, the Romanian official said, expressing gratitude to the US Defense Secretary for the consistent presence of US troops on the territory of Romania.

     

     

    Talks between the two officials also occasioned a debate on topics of interest ahead of the Contact Group for Ukraine meeting to take place on April 26, as well as a discussion on shared goals ahead of the NATO summit due this summer in Washington. Both parties expressed their joint commitment to consolidating the Alliance’s deterrence and defense posture on the Eastern Flank. Romanian-US talks were held as president Joe Biden recently signed into law the Senate’s 61-bln-USD aid package for Ukraine. The White House leader said more weapons and military equipment will be delivered to Ukraine over the coming weeks. The vote in Congress ended six months of blockade, coming at a very difficult time for the Ukrainian army, forced to cope with Russia’s mounting military pressure, news agencies write. President Zelenskyy expressed gratitude for the US support, and his generals voiced confidence that this aid will help push back the Russians on the eastern front. American authorities also confirmed the delivery of long-range missiles to Ukraine, to be used solely on its territory. Known as Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS), the weapons arrived in March in Ukraine in response to Russia’s use of long-range missiles delivered by North-Korea in the war in Ukraine, US national security adviser Jake Sullivan says. (VP)

  • July 25, 2023 UPDATE

    July 25, 2023 UPDATE

    Security. The Bucharest authorities have announced that at the moment there is no direct military threat to Romanias national territory or territorial waters. The announcement was made after Russia had attacked with drones two Ukrainian ports on the Danube, Reni and Ismail, near the border with Romania. The Russian attack was strongly condemned by the President of Romania, the Prime Minister and the Speaker of the Senate.



    Finance. The ruling coalition in Bucharest has failed to reach an agreement on the package of fiscal measures to reduce the budget deficit. On Monday, coalition leaders approved a proposal set forth by Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu regarding the elimination of 200,000 vacancies in the public sector and one proposal by the Liberal leader Nicolae Ciucă regarding expenditure cuts in all ministries. Solutions to combating tax evasion and improving the collection of revenues to the state budget were also discussed. Among the proposals aimed at reducing the deficit and bringing more money to the budget are the increase in the minimum salary of construction workers, in parallel with the elimination of their exemption from the payment of the healthcare contribution, eliminating the reduced VAT rate of 5%, which currently applies to some products and services, the increase in the tax on dividends and a higher tax for small companies with a turnover of over 500,000 euros. According to the finance minister, Romania should have a budget deficit of maximum 5%, or it risks losing the European funds from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan.



    Climate. No nation can tackle the global climate crisis alone, in isolation, said, on Tuesday, the Speaker of the Romanian Senate, Nicolae Ciucă. He participated, in Bucharest, in the ministerial meeting organized on the basis of the Agreement between the Governments of Azerbaijan, Georgia, Romania and Hungary regarding the Strategic Partnership in the field of green energy development and transport. In a post on Facebook, Nicolae Ciucă recalled that last December, as prime minister, he signed the agreement between the four countries for the construction of a cable under the Black Sea to transport green energy to Europe. At Tuesdays meeting of the Ministers of Energy from Azerbaijan, Georgia, Romania and Hungary, the steps for the implementation of this project were discussed, which, the Senate Speaker also said, will contribute to the transformation of Romania into a regional energy hub.



    Wildfires. The 130 Romanian firefighters who are helping put out the fires in Greece have worked very well together with their Greek colleagues and with firefighters from other countries, said on Tuesday, the head of the Department for Emergency Situations in Bucharest, Raed Arafat. The Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, has voiced gratitude for the presence of Romanian firefighters in his country, while the Minister of Tourism, Olga Kefalogianni, sent a safety message regarding the situation of tourists on vacation in Greece. In Bucharest, the Ministry of Economy, Entrepreneurship and Tourism recommended Romanians who intend to travel to Greece to inform themselves, before departure, about the existing situation at their destination and to avoid traveling in areas where there are wildfires. For its part, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs informs Romanian citizens who are transiting or are planning to travel to the Hellenic Republic that the local authorities decided to maintain, until July 27, the red code alert and the warnings for wildfires in the 4th and 5th degrees, on a scale from 1 to 5. The ministry also recommends to those who are in an area where a fire occurs to strictly comply with the instructions of the local authorities and stay informed.



    Swimming. Romanian swimmer David Popovici (18 years old) came in fourth in the final of the 200 m freestyle event on Tuesday, at the 2023 World Swimming Championships in Fukuoka (Japan). Popovici, reigning world champion in the 100 and 200 m freestyle, started from lane four and clearly dominated the first three lengths of the pool (150 m), but in the last 50 meters he inexplicably lost speed and finished only fourth with a time of 1min 44sec 90/100. Also in Fukuoka, David Popovici will compete in the 100 m freestyle, scheduled for July 26. The final will take place on the 27th of July. (MI)


  • Romanian American strategic partnership

    Romanian American strategic partnership

    Accompanied by the Chief of the Romanian General Staff, General Daniel Petrescu, and other officials from Bucharest, the Romanian Defense Minister, Angel Tîlvăr, is visiting the United States these days. A visit with a busy agenda, according to the schedule sent by the Romanian Embassy in the USA, which includes discussions in Washington with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the US Armed Forces, as well as at the White House, the National Security Council. The agenda also includes meetings with the presidents of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives Commiittee in Armed Services as well as with representatives of the American defense industry and of the strategic reflection and expertise domain.



    Last but not least, on the occasion of the visit to the USA, the Romanian delegation will mark 30 years since the establishment of the partnership between the Romanian Armed Forces and the Alabama National Guard. The Romanian officials will travel to the state of Alabama, where, between April 2 and 4, they will have meetings with the governor of the state, and the leadership of the Alabama National Guard, among others. On Thursday minister Angel Tîlvăr had discussions with the American Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, during which the high-ranking American official said that the strategic partnership between the United States and Romania is stronger than ever.



    According to a Pentagon statement, Defense Secretary Austin welcomed the excellent relationship between the armies of the two countries. The Pentagon spokesman, General Pat Ryder, said, following the talks between Austin and -Tîlvărthat: quote “Secretary Austin thanked Romania for hosting thousands of U.S. and allied forces to defend NATO’s eastern flank, and for Romania’s leadership role in the Black Sea region. The two leaders also saluted the 30-year anniversary of Romania’s State Partnership Program with the Alabama National Guard. The secretary looks forward to future meetings and opportunities to work with our Romanian allies. Unquote



    In a press conference, General Ryder also said that the two defense ministers condemned Russia’s savage war against Ukraine. At the same time, they reiterated their firm support for Ukraine. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin showed that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was a threat to regional security, Radio Romanias correspondent to Washington reports, and the Romanian Defense Minister, Angel Tîlvăr, assessed that President Putin was the most significant and direct threat to European, Euro-Atlantic and regional security. The Strategic Partnership between Romania and the U.S. was launched on July 11, 1997, on the occasion of the visit to Bucharest of the U.S. President, Bill Clinton, and ever since it has represented an essential landmark of Romania’s foreign policy. (LS)

  • Strategic partnership between Romania and Bulgaria

    Strategic partnership between Romania and Bulgaria

    Romania and Bulgaria will continue their common efforts for the adoption, this year, of the decision to join the Schengen Area. This was announced during the visit that the Romanian president, Klaus Iohannis, paid on Wednesday to Sofia. Klaus Iohannis was received by his Bulgarian counterpart, Rumen Radev, and had talks about establishing a common strategy related to Schengen. On this occasion, the two heads of state also signed a Strategic Partnership declaration which provides, among other things, for the intensification of bilateral political dialogue, for the encouragement of economic exchanges and cross-border cooperation, as well as for ensuring energy security. Moreover, says Klaus Iohannis, through this Strategic Partnership, infrastructure projects related to transport and navigability on the Danube and to the field of green energy will advance. In this context, the two officials decided that the two neighboring states should prioritize the areas that correspond to their strategic interests, in order to ensure their resilience, economic development and security.



    As to the Schengen free travel area, Klaus Iohannis reiterated that Romania and Bulgaria are ready for accession and explained that the two countries act responsibly to protect this area. The expansion is not related to the illegal migration at the external borders of the European Union, the Romanian president believes, and Romania and Bulgaria have repeatedly expressed their willingness to be part of the solutions for managing this challenge.



    Klaus Iohannis: “The Schengen area refers to a European citizen’s right to travel freely in the European Union states. Illegal migration is an entirely different issue. It is about people entering the European Union illegally and trying to cross from one state to another. For political reasons, these two issues are mixed up by some European politicians. It is an error, but we understand the difficulties of some European states in dealing with illegal migration. We are willing to participate in all the programs that can solve these issues.



    And the Bulgarian president reiterated that additional efforts will be made to speed up accession to the Schengen area. He showed that in the last months, the two countries have fought against the flow of illegal migrants, a flow that has decreased considerably.



    Rumen Radev: We believe that this unjustified barrier, which was put in front of our countries, should not be used to solve internal problems or other problems within the European Union. Lifting this barrier, for which we will work together, will bring a great contribution and will answer to our citizens what equal rights in the European Union mean.



    In this context, he announced that he would propose to the European Union the setting up in Bulgaria of a working group to include representatives of social services from all the states that are influenced by the Balkan transit. We recall that in the Justice and Home Affairs Council of December 8, 2022, Romania and Bulgaria registered a failure regarding Schengen accession, although the two countries met all the necessary technical conditions. The opposition came from Austria and the Netherlands, the latter specifying that Bulgaria was not yet ready to enter Schengen. Austria blocked the accession amid concerns about illegal migration on the Balkan route. Romania rejected the accusations, which were also officially denied by the European institutions and Europol. (LS)

  • Extended Romanian-Japanese economic cooperation

    Extended Romanian-Japanese economic cooperation

    Earlier this week,
    Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis signed in Japan the Strategic Partnership
    between Romania and Japan. From now on, the two countries are expected to
    further develop economic relations and boost cooperation in such fields as
    energy, research and investment. The decision to create this partnership was
    taken five years ago as part of talks held in Bucharest between president
    Iohannis and Japan’s Prime Minister at the time, Shinzo Abe. This is Romania’s
    second strategic partnership with an Asian state, after South Korea.

    According
    to the Presidency, Romania wants to capitalize on Japan’s status as a major
    innovative global economy and one of the world’s top investors. There are 397
    enterprises with Japanese capital in Romania, currently accounting for over
    40,000 jobs. The growth potential is significant, including in fields with a
    high degree of innovation such as the development of small modular reactors
    (SMRs) jointly with the United States, producing and distributing green
    hydrogen, producing high-power optics, state-of-the-art infrastructure or
    finalizing the M6 subway line in Bucharest.

    Japan is Romania’s biggest
    investor from Asia. We also want to see a substantial increase in Japanese
    investments in our country. We appreciate the constructive approach of Japanese
    companies operating on the Romanian market, with the observation of
    sustainability principles, the Romanian president said after signing the
    document. Klaus Iohannis also said that the contribution of Japanese companies
    to complex infrastructure projects such as the construction of the Danube River
    suspension bridge in Brăila, southern Romania, is a good example in this
    respect. The bridge is the largest of its kind in Romania and the third-longest
    in the EU. We encourage Japan to continue to get involved in connectivity
    projects that are relevant not just to Romania, but to neighboring states as
    well, president Iohannis added. In turn, Japan’s Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida,
    said that Japan is eager to work with Romania as strategic partners to further
    cooperation in various fields, including security, economy, science, technology
    and culture. As part of his visit to Japan, president Klaus Iohannis also
    visited Kyoto, where he met with local authorities. I hope Kyoto will soon be
    able to sign a twinning agreement with a town in Romania, in order to
    capitalize on the untapped human and economic potential of our communities,
    the Romanian official said. (VP)









  • Romanian American Cooperation

    Romanian American Cooperation

    The Romanian Foreign
    Minister, Bogdan Aurescu, and the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, had a
    telephone conversation on topics of priority interest for the bilateral
    Strategic Partnership, in the context of Russia’s war against Ukraine and
    efforts to combat its effects. The dialogue also took place in preparation for
    the eighth round of the Strategic Dialogue between Romania and the USA, which
    will take place in March, in Bucharest. In the context of the one-year
    anniversary of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, they discussed its
    profound global effects, as well as joint efforts to counter them. The head of the
    Romanian diplomacy made a review of the very comprehensive and multidimensional
    aid granted to that state by Romania since the beginning of the war.




    In turn, the US Secretary
    of State particularly thanked Minister Aurescu for the concrete, substantial and essential support given by
    Romania to Ukraine. In terms of regional security, the two officials
    highlighted the importance of continuing the coherent and consistent
    strengthening of NATO’s Eastern Flank, and Bogdan Aurescu conveyed his
    appreciation for the US commitment to the defense of the entire Allied
    territory, including in the Black Sea region and in Romania, expressed also on
    the occasion of the Bucharest 9 summit in Warsaw. The two heads of diplomacy
    also addressed opportunities for strengthening resilience in the Black Sea
    region through a strategic approach that would ensure, in a sustainable manner,
    the free, safe and prosperous character of the Black Sea and strengthen its
    status as a key commercial and energy route.










    On the other hand, Bogdan
    Aurescu emphasized the major impact that Russia’s war of aggression against
    Ukraine has on the Republic of Moldova and reaffirmed Romania’s firm, continuous
    and unconditional support for the
    Republic of Moldova, for strengthening its resilience and security and for its
    European journey’. At the same time, he reiterated the key importance of
    Romania’s inclusion in the US Visa Waiver Program.

    Against the background of
    security challenges in the region, Romania wants to acquire a battalion of
    American Abrams tanks, which usually has 54 such armored vehicles. The decision
    will be subject to Parliament’s approval. Military experts consider this
    third-generation tank to be extremely effective. Its price starts at 10 million
    dollars. Representatives of the Romanian Foreign Ministry have also spoken about
    procurement
    in the naval field. Also, it is estimated that all F-16 aircraft will be delivered
    in 2024, after the contract for the purchase of 32 such aircraft from Norway
    was signed last year. Currently, the Romanian Air Force has 17 F-16 aircraft,
    bought from Portugal and modernized with the help of the USA, as well as older
    MIG21 LanceR aircraft of Soviet origin. (MI)





  • Romania-Japan strategic partnership

    Romania-Japan strategic partnership

    Bucharest and Tokyo want to strengthen bilateral ties, which
    on Tuesday will be elevated to the level of strategic partnership. This is the
    purpose of the three-day official visit paid by Romania’s president, Klaus
    Iohannis, to Japan. On Tuesday, Klaus Iohannis will meet with Japan’s Emperor
    Naruhito and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, with whom he will sign the Joint
    Declaration for the creation of the Strategic Partnership between the two
    states. The head of state had announced earlier this year during his
    traditional meeting with ambassadors accredited in Romania that relations will
    Japan will be improved in 2023.

    The signing of this document is the result of a
    long process of consultations and negotiations, launched five years ago by
    president Klaus Iohannis and the late Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe. This
    will be Romania’s second strategic partnership with an Asian state after South
    Korea. The Strategic Partnership will also mark the transition to a superior
    level of capitalizing on bilateral potential, shared values and principles. The
    document will advance Romanian-Japanese cooperation at multiple levels,
    including foreign policy and security cooperation, development assistance,
    cooperation in the fields of culture, science and technologies, innovation,
    research and development. Japan is Romania’s largest Asian investor. 400
    businesses with Japanese capital operate in Romania, accounting for 40,000
    jobs.

    Growth potential is significant, including in fields with a potential for
    innovation, such as the development of small modular reactor technologies,
    producing and distributing green hydrogen, producing high-power optics,
    state-of-the-art infrastructure or finalizing the M6 subway line in Bucharest.
    From this point of view, the Romanian president’s visit to Japan will have a
    strong economic component, designed to strengthen ties in terms of investments
    and technological innovation cooperation, in addition to political dialogue and
    consolidating cultural exchanges and person-to-person relations. President
    Klaus Iohannis previously visited Japan in 2019, when he attended the
    enthronement of Emperor Naruhito. (VP)

  • Green energy deal

    Green energy deal

    An underwater cable transporting
    green energy through the Black Sea to the EU will be built by Azerbaijan,
    Georgia, Hungary and Romania. According to Romanian authorities, a feasibility
    study is due to complete by next autumn. The 1,200-km power cable will take six
    years to build. An agreement in this respect was signed in Bucharest, in the
    presence of European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen. The document
    reflects the interests of the four states for consolidating national and
    regional energy security and ensuring interconnectivity in the Black Sea region,
    diversifying own supply sources, capitalizing on the Caspian Sea’s potential of
    producing renewable energy and increasing the share of renewable energy at
    national level, the Presidency reports. The agreement on creating a Strategic
    Partnership in the field of developing and transporting energy is a crucial
    and ambitious document that will seriously help strengthen energy security at
    European level and will boost regional cooperation, Romania’s president, Klaus
    Iohannis, said. Given the current security context caused by the military
    aggression in Ukraine, we should enhance our cooperation and display more
    solidarity in overcoming current challenges. This agreement provides a
    framework for long-term cooperation between our countries in a number of essential
    fields, such as producing, transporting and trading energy trading, also
    helping develop new infrastructure projects, including an underwater power
    cable in the Black Sea, and later projects targeting green hydrogen and energy
    efficiency, Klaus Iohannis went on to say. In turn, the European Commission
    president, Ursula von der Leyen highlighted the importance of this project.


    The Black Sea electric cable is a
    new transmission route full of opportunities. This project could bring Georgia,
    a country with a European destiny, great benefits as well. It could transform
    the country into an electricity hub and integrate it in the EU internal
    electricity market. Finally, the Black Sea electric cable could also help bring
    electricity to our neighbors in Moldova and the Western Balkans.


    The president of Azerbaijan, Ilham
    Aliyev, said his country would become a major provider of electricity for
    Europe, while the Prime Minister of Georgia, Irakli Garibashvili also stated
    his country is willing to cooperate to ensure European states can receive
    supplies of green energy. In turn, Hungary’s Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán, said that the time when Europe imported cheap energy
    and raw materials from Russia is now over, and that new sources of renewable
    energy must be identified. Romania is committed to investing in energy
    production and infrastructure, Romania’s Prime Minister, Nicolae Ciucă said in
    turn. The agreement was signed in response to an urgent need to boost the share
    of green energy and energy security, and Romania will play a key role as a
    transit country, offering alternative routes to neighbors and EU partners, the
    Romanian official further said.

  • June 27, 2022

    June 27, 2022

    Motion. The Romanian Chamber
    of Deputies is debating, today, the simple motion of no confidence filed by the opposition Save
    Romanian Union against the Liberal Minister of Energy, Virgil Popescu. The
    signatories to the document say that under his mandates the price of energy for
    the population and companies has increased constantly, and the minister is
    guilty of incompetence and ill-will. The Social Democrats too expressed their dissatisfaction with the
    minister, saying that Popescu should have managed the energy price situation
    better. They also condemn the draft ordinance, initiated by the minister, under
    which coal-based production facilities would be closed. The vote on the motion
    will take place on Wednesday, in the plenary of the Chamber of Deputies. On
    Tuesday, the deputies will vote on the request of the National Anticorruption Directorate to lift the parliamentary
    immunity of the former Minister of Agriculture, the Social Democrat Adrian
    Chesnoiu. He is accused by anti-corruption prosecutors of abuse of office.






    Reactors. President Klaus
    Iohannis and Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca welcomed the announcement made on
    Sunday by US President Joe Biden at the G7 summit in Germany, according to
    which the United States will finance with 14 million dollars the preliminary
    stage of engineering and design studies for the development of small modular
    reactors in Romania. Ensuring energy security is a common goal of the
    Romanian-American Strategic Partnership, Klaus Iohannis wrote on social media,
    while Nicolae Ciuca said in a statement, among other things, that the development
    of the nuclear program will boost economic growth.




    Baccalaureate. The Romanian
    Minister of Education, Sorin Câmpeanu, has said today that this year’s
    Baccalaureate examinations produced the best results in last 10 years were registered, and this fact
    would be due to the simplification of the subjects. The exam pass rate was over 73%. 162 students got
    a final 10 , 32 of whom are from Bucharest. The highest promotion rate was
    registered in Cluj county (northwest), Campeanu also said. The results can be
    seen on the bacalaureat.edu.ro platform and on the schools’ notice boards. The
    identity of the students will not be disclosed, their names being replaced by
    the individual codes received at the first test. More than 126,000 high school
    graduates sat the Baccalaureate exam this year, the lowest number since the
    1989 anti-communist revolution.







    Partnership. Romania’s two-chamber parliament will convene on Tuesday in a joint meeting dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the conclusion of the Strategic Partnership between Romania and the United States of America. The Bucharest authorities have stressed that this collaboration has been, over the years, an essential landmark for the country’s foreign policy, as well as a tool to support domestic efforts for Romania’s economic, military and administrative reform. In a post on Facebook, Romania’s Ambassador to Washington, Andrei Muraru, says that he was received at the White House by president Joe Biden, to whom he conveyed president Iohannis’s message and the Romanian state’s will to strengthen the strategic partnership between the two countries. The Romanian diplomat stated that without President Biden’s courage and determination, NATO may not have been as strong and united as it is today. The White House leader thanked Romania for the invaluable help it has provided to Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian invasion

    Festival. The city of Sibiu, in central Romania, is until July 3, the International Theater Festival. The theme chosen for this edition, the 29th, is ‘beauty’. The event brings together theater, dance, circus, film and music productions. Street theater performances, concerts, book launches and exhibitions are organized every day. For ten days, great artists of the world stage are giving the public the opportunity to enjoy some of the most appreciated shows in the world, internationally recognized and rewarded with prestigious awards. The festival takes place in both physical and hybrid formats, so that some of the performances that take place in performance halls, in unconventional spaces, in churches and in the central squares of Sibiu can be watched on the official SITF website, on the digital streaming platform, www.scena-digitala.ro, as well as on the Festival’s Facebook page and YouTube channel.

    Swimming. The double world
    champion in swimming, the Romanian David Popovici, will receive an award from
    the Government today, and President Klaus Iohannis will decorate him with the
    Order of Star of Romania in the rank of Knight. David Popovici returned to
    the country last night, after, during the week, he had won two gold medals in
    the finals of the 100 and 200 meters freestyle finals of the FINA World
    Championships in Budapest. His colleague Robert Glinta came in fifth in the
    50-meter backstroke final and eighth in the 100-meter backstroke. (MI)

  • Romania and its strategic partnerships

    Romania and its strategic partnerships

    Launched in July 1997, on the occasion of the visit to Bucharest of the then leader of the White House, Bill Clinton, the Strategic Partnership between Romania and the USA represents an essential landmark of Bucharest’s foreign policy and, the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs underlines, an effective support tool for the domestic efforts in the field of political, economic, military and administrative reform. In the context of the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, the year 2020 marked new ways to strengthen this partnership, through the mutual support that the two countries gave each other, whether it was to facilitate the air transport of medical materials in Romania, repatriation of citizens or exchange of experience and help by deploying a medical team from Bucharest to the state of Alabama.

    2020 was also the year of the 140th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic relations, a time of reflection and projection into the future, with the confidence rendered by the fact that the ties between our countries are stronger than ever, President Klaus Iohannis said at the ceremony at which the US Ambassador to Romania, Adrian Zuckerman, at the end of his term, due to the change in the US administration, was decorated with the National Order Star of Romania in the rank of Grand Cross.

    2021 is the year of celebration of a decade since the conclusion of the Joint Declaration on the Strategic Partnership for the 21st Century between Bucharest and Washington and the Agreement on the location of the US missile defense system in Romania, said the head of state, expressing his conviction that together with the new US administration, the development of the partnership and strong relationship of trust between the two countries, built on common values ​​and interests, will continue.

    The president also recalled the progress made in the past years and the major bilateral projects in the field of security and defense, economy and energy cooperation. Romania is an amazing country, a country with a bright future and with an unlimited potential, ambassador Adrian Zuckerman said in his turn, recalling the fact that he was born in Romania.

    Another foreign bridge, this time in the relation with France, was consolidated thanks to the talks between the Romanian Prime Minister Florin Cîțu and his French counterpart, Jean Castex. I was glad to see the continuity of bilateral relations between France and Romania, relations that have a long and successful history in several fields. Besides the discussions regarding the evolution of the pandemic and the vaccination process in the two countries, we stressed once again the importance of French companies in the process of Romania’s economic recovery , the Romanian prime minister wrote on his Facebook page, after the telephone conversation. In turn, the French official, expressed the full support that France will continue to give to Romania in all joint projects. (M. Ignatescu)

  • Romanian-French Strategic Partnership, reconfirmed

    Romanian-French Strategic Partnership, reconfirmed

    Signed in 2008 in Bucharest, the strategic partnership between France and the francophone and francophile Romania, the first such partnership that Paris signed with a East European country, was ignored for five years. Political will on both sides was required to boost cooperation that was often overshadowed by the negative image – something created by the media or used for political reasons – of some Romanians in France. However, the partnership, with a dominant economic component but also with a political and cultural dimension, is valid and must be fully functional, irrespective of problems of any nature, to which solutions must and can be found through dialogue. This was the message in 2013, when Romanian and French authorities decided to revive this partnership.



    Since 2013 on, almost all French and Romanian presidents and prime ministers have paid official visits to Bucharest and Paris to forge new agreements based on this strategic partnesrhip. Early this week, it was PM Ludovic Orban’s turn to travel to Paris for an official visit. At the end of meeting with his French counterpart, Jean Castex, the two signed an updated roadmap based on which cooperation, they say, becomes more structured, more ambitious and better equipped to deal with challenges generated by the coronavirus crisis. This roadmap sets out the main coordinates of the bilateral cooperation for the next four years, in sectors like nuclear energy, defense, telecommunications, agriculture and health. France will support Romania develop its capacity to produce nuclear energy after Romania and the US signed, early this month, an accord for the construction of two new reactors.



    PM Ludovic Orban: ”The French PM and I have signed a document regarding cooperation in the nuclear sector, that targets collaboration with strategic partners in order to carry out the construction of reactors 3 and 4 in Cernavoda and the upgrading of reactor 1.”


    Ludovic Orban also talked about possible new French-Romanian projects in the military field, Romania planning, for instance, to equip its Naval Forces with four corvettes. Also, after Romania and France successfully organised, in both countries, a cultural season, between December 2018 and July 2019, the two contries now plan to celebrate together, next year, the great Romanian composer George Enescu, and to mark 140 years since his birth. Also next year, the George Enescu International Music Festival will reach its 25th edition. (Translated by Elena Enache)



  • The Romania-Italy Consolidated Strategic Partnership

    The Romania-Italy Consolidated Strategic Partnership



    Based on very old historical and cultural links, as well as on the present social and human bonds, Romanian-Italian relations continue to develop at all levels, including the economic one, the centerpiece of the state visit which Romanias president, Klaus Iohannis, is paying to Rome these days. With an over 15.5-billion-euro estimated value of trade exchanges this year, Italy is Romanias second trade partner, ranking first in the chart of foreign investors in terms of the number of companies on the Romanian market. Experts estimate that that upward trend will be maintained in the next period, which was the mutual wish expressed during the top level talks Romanias president had with Italian officials. Klaus Iohannis:



    “I have underscored that Romania is and remains a very attractive market; it is a country with an important potential and though we have a very large business community in Romania, we look forward to more investments and expect more business people to come and enrich our bilateral economic relationship.”



    Romania and Italy are both NATO members and deem the Transatlantic relations as very important as Italys president Sergio Mattarella pointed out:



    “I have thanked president Iohannis for Romanias contribution to the Sea Guardian operation, as regards safety and security in the Central Mediterranean area, as well as for Romanias contribution to the Naples hub as regards NATOs southern flank. We have tackled several issues, for instance the issue of the Western Balkans. Both Romania and Italy believe that it is very important for us to support dialogue between countries in this geographical area.”



    Taking place against the backdrop of the celebration of the Centennial of the Great Union and of 10 years since Romanian-Italian relations were upgraded to the level of consolidated strategic partnership, the visit of Romanias president also focuses on the 1.2-million-strong Romanian community, the largest ethnic community in Italy and the largest Romanian community abroad. The Rome talks are also a good opportunity of spelling out Romanias priorities during its presidency of the EU Council, in the first half of 2019.




  • June 30, 2018

    June 30, 2018

    STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP — Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis on Friday reaffirmed our country’s determination to develop and expand its Strategic Partnership with the United States of America in a speech marking the anniversary of Independence Day, celebrated at the US Embassy in Bucharest. Cooperation between Romania and the US at political, military and security levels has reached an outstanding standard, the president argued, adding that action is further required to also consolidate economic relations. To that end Romania needs stability, predictability and a powerful and independent system, transparent and responsible governance that should observe the rule of law, President Iohannis said. In turn, US Ambassador to Bucharest Hans Klemm said the two countries will try to expand and consolidate the Strategic Partnership, and that cooperation in all fields will continue.



    PENSIONS — Prime Minister Viorica Dancila said public pensions will go up starting July 1. The pension point will go up by 10%, will the minimum pension will increase by 20%. The measure addresses over 5 million Romanians. Additionally, social allowances for people with disabilities will also go up. The Government has also adopted a measure aimed at implementing 8 strategic investment projects under private-public partnership. Among these projects there is the construction of two regional hospitals, a plant specialized in producing electric vehicles, a national blood and stem cells bank as well as a new tourist center in the Fagaras Mountains.



    EXTREME WEATHER — Romania is under orange and yellow codes against heavy rainfall and storms in place until Sunday morning. During the interval rainfall is expected to exceed normal limits, while reports of extreme weather instability, with electrical storms and strong winds are expected locally. Meteorologists say the weather phenomena are expected to engulf the whole country until the end of the warning interval. Highs will range between 19 and 29 degrees Celsius. Hydrologists have also issued warnings against floods for 19 counties.



    INTERVENTION — Over 20,000 firemen and gendarmes intervened to deal with the damages caused by the floods triggered by the heavy rainfall of the last three days in Romania, Interior Minister Carmen Dan announced on Saturday during an emergency meeting called at the ministry. There are cases where the population has been evacuated pre-emptively, with measures being taken to find temporary accommodation. Scores of national roads have been blocked due to the rain, while traffic has been diverted in the region. Several towns and villages were cut off from the power grid and hundreds of households have been flooded and are now isolated.



    DECISION — The European Council adopted the European Parliament’s decision to cut down the number of MPs from 751 to 705, following Brexit. Of the 73 seats currently held by British MPs, 43 will be preserved for future EU enlargements, while 27 will be redistributed to underrepresented countries. Romania will be granted an additional seat, raising the number of Romanian MEPs to 33. The decision highlights that the new redistribution of seats will be enforced only if Britain leaves the community bloc. Otherwise, the current structure will be kept in place until Brexit is finalized from a judicial point of view.



    TENNIS — The tennis pair made up of Irina Begu and Mihaela Buzarnescu is toadying playing the doubles finals at the WTA tournament in Eastbourne, the United Kingdom, totaling 850 thousand dollars in prize money. On Friday, the two players knocked out Nadia Kicenok of Ukraine and Ekaterina Makarova of Russia, 4-6, 6-0, 10-6. In the final match the Romanians will play Gabriela Dabrowski of Canada and Yifan Xu of China.



    2018 WORLD CUP — France is playing Argentina while Uruguay will take on Portugal in the first two matches counting towards the 2018 World Cup round of 16. France won Group C with 7 points in three matches. On the other hand, Argentina was ranked 2nd in Group D with 4 points in three matches.



    (Translated by V. Palcu)

  • Romania-USA Strategic Partnership

    Romania-USA Strategic Partnership

    The strategic partnership with Washington is one of the core lines of Bucharests foreign policy. The importance of a sound trans-Atlantic connection, able to guarantee the security and prosperity of both states, was reaffirmed at the 6th annual Strategic Partnership Dialogue. Chairing the plenary meeting were Romanias deputy PM for strategic partnerships Ana Birchall and the US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Wess Mitchell.



    According to a joint statement posted on the website of the US Embassy in Bucharest, the bilateral partnership is based on the shared commitment to the values and interests on which the West has been built. “Robust security cooperation is a vital part of the U.S.-Romania Strategic Partnership. We will work together in NATO in support of Allied solidarity, deterrence and defence, and burden sharing in keeping with the decisions taken by the Alliance at successive NATO Summits, reads the statement.



    The American party praises Romanias substantial investment in developing the capabilities of its armed forces, which resulted in an increased contribution to the Allied security, and acknowledges Romanias influence in the region and the fact that this autumn it will host the Three Seas Initiative Summit.



    The US also expresses its willingness to continue to work with the Romanian Government for the common priorities in the region, with a focus on facilitating investments in energy, the establishment of a single European energy market, on diversifying energy routes and resources, on enhancing competitiveness and transparency and on advancing the interconnectivity in the energy, infrastructure and digital fields.



    The parties committed to carry on their close cooperation to widen the scope and depth of the economic and trade dimension of the Strategic Partnership. Bucharest and Washington acknowledged the importance of strengthening operational cooperation to prevent and eradicate human trafficking.



    The Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Wess Mitchell also expressed hope that Romania will further its progress towards strengthening democracy and the rule of law. Romania, the US official added, has chosen to grow without corruption, and over the past few years it has taken steps of historic importance to this end. Romanias progress in fighting corruption is impressive, Wess Mitchell said, and added that the United States “applauds and encourages the work of Romania’s anti-corruption prosecutors “because this is how you remove vulnerabilities that hostile powers would use to undermine a nation.



    A timely piece of advice, given the intense political, institutional and constitutional clashes in Romania, which, observers say, will ultimately seal the fate of the countrys judicial system independence.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • June 19, 2018

    June 19, 2018

    PRESIDENCY – President Klaus Iohannis has a meeting today with the EU ambassadors to Bucharest, to discuss the forthcoming Romanian presidency of the Union Council in the first half of 2019. According to a news release issued by the Presidency, Klaus Iohannis will state that a compromise solution for the multi-annual budget, must be balanced and meet both the new priorities of the Union, such as border protection, migration, the ERASMUS programme, innovation and defence, and keep a substantial level of funding for traditional policies such as cohesion and the common agricultural policy. The President will also express Bucharests determination to support the efforts to resume the full implementation of the Schengen system and will add that the consolidation of the visa-free area cannot be completed without full integration of Romania and Bulgaria.




    PRIME MINISTER – PM Viorica Dăncilă presents the joint Parliament Chambers with a progress report on Romanias preparations to take over the EU Council presidency in January 2019. “The talks occasioned by this presentation will be a substantial support to the Governments drawing up and adopting a first working programme for the Presidency, Dǎncilǎ said. She believes the Council presidency will be an opportunity for Romania to prove its capacity to contribute to re-launching the European project, by means of a powerful political vision and relevant administrative capacity.




    CODE – The changes to the Code of Criminal Procedure were endorsed on Monday by the Chamber of Deputies, the decision-making chamber of Parliament in this case, after having been passed by the Senate as well. 175 Deputies voted in favour and 78 against. The National Liberal Party and the Save Romania Union in opposition announced they will refer the bill to the Constitutional Court.




    JUDICIARY – The Constitutional Court of Romania today discusses President Klaus Iohannis notification concerning changes to the Referendum Law. One of the claims is that the document includes provisions concerning the initiation and procedural steps in revising the Constitution, which fall outside its competence. Also today, Constitutional Court judges discuss the notifications filed by the National Liberal Party and Save Romania Union in opposition, as well as by the High Court of Cassation and Justice, concerning the bill on the statute of judges and prosecutors. The High Court argues that the phrasing in the new bill is too broad and imprecise making the law impossible to enforce.




    US-ROMANIA – Romanias deputy PM for strategic partnerships, Ana Birchall, has had a meeting today with Wess Mitchell, Assistant US State Secretary for European and Eurasian affairs, as part of the 6th annual political meeting for Romania-US Strategic Dialogue. Ana Birchall emphasised Romanias interest in identifying and implementing new joint projects contributing to the development and strengthening of the Strategic Partnership with the US. She pointed out the huge potential in the fields of energy, IT and film industry. On the other hand, she requested the support of the American side for Romanias Visa Waiver application and thanked the US for its support to Romanias efforts to join the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and development. On Monday, in an address given at the University of Bucharest, the American official said Romania made progress towards a strong judicial system and must not backtrack on it. The US official added that the US appreciates the resilience of Black Sea countries, but also warned against the danger posed by the influence of Russia and China in the region.




    FOOTBALL – Romanian football champions CFR Cluj are finding out today their opponents in the second preliminary round of the Champions League, in a UEFA draw in the Swiss city of Nyon. The draw for the Europa League will take place tomorrow, with Romanian vice-champions FCSB (former Steaua Bucuresti) and Viitorul Constanta taking part. The Romanian Cup winners CSU Craiova will play straight into the third preliminary round.




    WORLD CUP – Poland-Senegal and Columbia-Japan, in Group H, and Russia-Egypt in Group A, are the football World Cup games scheduled for today. On Monday in Group A, Sweden defeated South Korea 1-0, while in Group G Belgium outplayed Panama, 3-0 and England beat Tunisia 2-1. The Panamanian goalie Jaime Penedo, playing for Dinamo Bucharest, is the only footballer from the Romanian championship taking part in the Russia World Cup. The last final tournament Romania took part in was in 1998.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)