Radio România Internațional

Tag: Tilvar

  • April 24, 2024 UPDATE

    April 24, 2024 UPDATE

    VISIT On Wednesday and Thursday, the European Commissioner for international partnership, Jutta Urpilainen is paying a visit to Bucharest for talks over Romania’s participation in the investment strategy known as Global Gateway. Jutta Urpilainen will be meeting Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu and the two are expected to tackle the role Romania can play in deepening the EU international partnerships and the promotion of sustainable development at world level in the present difficult geopolitical context. The EU official will be meeting representatives of the private sector in order to learn the way in which Global Gateway can give an impetus to Romanian enterprises to invest in the developing markets.

     

    TALKS Romania’s Defence Minister, Angel Tîlvăr on Wednesday held talks with the US Secretary of Defence Lloyd J. Austin III. The talks between the two officials mainly focused on the security situation generated by the war of aggression and the unconditional support to Ukraine. The importance of maintaining Trans-Atlantic unity in the present security complex was reiterated. The talks also offered the opportunity of debating elements of interest ahead of the meeting of the Contact group for Ukraine, due on Friday as well as the setting of joint objectives ahead of the Washington Summit this summer.

     

    FAIR The largest book fair in Transylvania – Gaudeamus, organized by Radio Romania, kicked off in Cluj-Napoca, north-western Romania, on Wednesday. The event reached its 23rd edition. 16 pavilions host 60 stands of 85 publishing houses. The fair offers books, music and educational games. There are several thousand books in Romanian, in international languages and in the languages of the national minorities living in Romania. All in all, more than 40 launches and book presentations are scheduled, as well as meetings between writers and readers. The first launch is that of the volume “Naraton” by the late writer Cornel Udrea, one of the voices of the Cluj public radio, who passed away a few days ago.

     

    FILMS Two Romanian films are in the official selection of the famous Cannes Film Festival in France: the feature film “Three kilometers to the end of the world”, the story of the complicated relationships between a teenager and his parents, directed by Emanuel Pârvu, and the documentary “Nasty”, about the life and career of the first world number one in men’s tennis, the Romanian Ilie Năstase, made by Tudor Giurgiu, Cristian Pascariu and Tudor D. Popescu. “Nasty” will be presented in the Special Screenings section. The Cannes festival also invited in the competition an Iranian filmmaker who criticizes the fundamentalist regime in Tehran, Mohammad Rasoulof. A total of 22 films will compete in 2024 to win the Palme d’Or trophy. The 77th edition of the Cannes Film Festival will take place between May 14-25.

     

    SEOUL On the last day of the visit of Romania’s President, Klaus Iohannis, to South Korea, the official delegation visited, on Wednesday, the Doosan Enerbility complex in Busan, a world leader in energy production. On this occasion Klaus Iohannis said that Bucharest is very interested in working with international partners on the development and implementation of the small modular reactors technology in Romania. On Tuesday evening, the Romanian president participated in an exhibition of traditional Romanian art. During his visit to Seoul, Romania and South Korea decided to expand their bilateral cooperation, by signing a joint declaration on strengthening the bilateral strategic partnership and several cooperation agreements in the fields of defense, energy or emergency situations management.

     

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  • August 29, 2023 UPDATE

    August 29, 2023 UPDATE

    DIPLOMACY Romanian
    president Klaus Iohannis says that Romania wants to see an increased American
    presence in the region at all levels, military, economic, political as well as in
    the field of energy. The Romanian official delivered a speech on Tuesday at the
    meeting, which brought together heads of diplomatic missions, consulates and
    directors of Romania’s cultural institutions. The development and deepening of
    our Strategic Partnership with the United States represents a pillar whose
    relevance has been reconfirmed and consolidated. We are profoundly committed to
    maintaining and strengthening the transatlantic relationship, the president
    went on to say adding that Romania’s accession to Europe’s border-free area, Schengen,
    remains a priority for the coming period. Bucharest is these days hosting the
    Annual Meeting of the Romanian Diplomacy, under the suggestive motto ‘A firm
    foreign policy of Romania’s: managing challenges and making the most of opportunities’.
    The special guests of Romania’s Foreign Minister,
    Luminita Odobescu, are her counterparts from Chile, Alberto van Klaveren Stork
    and Lithuania, Gabrielius Landsbergis. Against the background of Russia’s war
    of aggression in Ukraine, the event is focusing on the need for stepping up
    diplomatic dialogue and social-economic efforts with a view to strengthening
    the security architecture and the rule-based international order.






    POLICE The
    Romanian Minister of the Interior, Cătălin Predoiu, has announced that the new
    interim head of the Constanţa Police Inspectorate (IPJ) is Chief Commissioner
    Mădălina Sorina Vlangăr. She has replaced Chief Constantin Glugă, who announced
    his resignation following the investigation into the accident on May 2, in
    which a 19-year-old drugged driver killed two young people and injured another
    three. According to the minister, the entire organizational structure at IPJ
    Constanta will be rethought and adapted to the extent of the criminal
    phenomenon specific to this county and a new transitional managerial team will
    ensure the operation of the system until the new organization comes into
    operation. The control body of the Minister of the Interior proposes the
    initiation of a preliminary investigation of the head of the Constanta County
    Police Inspectorate, as well as of other officers involved in the faulty
    management of the May 2 case. Cătălin Predoiu has announced that IPJ Constanţa
    will be completely reorganized, and that is where the reformation of the entire
    Romanian police apparatus will start.






    TALKS The
    Romanian ministers of Finance, Labour and European Funds held talks in Brussels
    with the technical teams of the European Commission on issues related to the
    National Plan of Recovery and Resilience and the future law of special
    pensions. The Romanian authorities want to convince Brussels to accept a budget
    deficit of up to 5.5% instead of the previously assumed 4.4%. The one percent
    difference, the ministers say, comes from unplanned additional expenses owing
    to the war in Ukraine. Romania has spent 0.5% more from the GDP on defence-related
    issues and has incurred losses because of the imports of cheap Ukrainian grain.
    Radio Romania’s correspondent in Brussels recalls that Romania is the only
    country with an infringement procedure opened against it on budget deficit,
    which has been suspended due to the crisis.






    F-16 Romania’s Minister
    of Defence, Angel Tilvar, on Tuesday signed the letter of intent with the
    Netherlands and the US company Lockheed Martin on setting up the F-16 training
    center for Ukrainian pilots in Romania. According to the Romanian Defence
    Ministry, the Dutch Royal Forces will deploy several F-16 jet fighters to the
    86 Airbase in Romania while Lockheed Martin, which produces this aircraft, will
    ensure the technical support consisting of flight instructors and engineers. By
    setting up this centre, Romania joins the other NATO allies in the process of training
    the Ukrainian pilots allowing them to use these planes in the future. Minister Tilvar
    is presently in Toledo, Spain, to attend the informal meeting of the EU defence
    ministers.


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  • August 8, 2023

    August 8, 2023

    PENSIONS The
    Romanian MPs are expected to interrupt their summer holidays and resume
    activity in order to amend the special pensions law, after some provisions have
    been deemed as unconstitutional, the country’s Prime Minister, Marcel Ciolacu,
    has said. Ciolacu told a private TV channel the requests made by the
    constitutional judges would be subjected to talks in Brussels between the
    Romanian authorities and the European Commission representatives. Ciolacu has pledged
    to fly to Brussels this month to renegotiate several provisions in the
    country’s National Plan of Recovery and Resilience as well as the budget target
    of 4.4%. The government in Bucharest would rather the European Executive accepted
    a target of 5% of the GDP. The Prime Minister has explained that in the absence
    of a plan on curbing budget expenses and raising incomes, the budget would
    exceed 6.2%, which might prompt the EU to cut its funds for Romania.






    PILOTS 100 Romanian pilots, who in the past four months defended the NATO air
    space over Lithuania, are coming back home. There were many situations in which
    Russian Sukhoi warplanes were flying dangerously close to the NATO airspace and
    the Romanian pilots were sent to intercept those planes. The Romanians worked
    together with their colleagues from Portugal and NATO is permanently deploying air-force
    personnel and aircraft to that country as Lithuania doesn’t have its own
    fighter jets. Moreover, the area is notorious for the bold attempts of the
    Russian pilots to violate the NATO airspace. 16 years ago Romanian pilots were
    also involved in air policing missions in Lithuania on their upgraded MIG-21
    Lancers.








    SUPPORT
    Romania is ready to offer specialized assistance and support to the National
    Armed Forces of the Republic of Moldova, an ex-soviet, Romanian-speaking
    country, Romania’s National Defence Minister, Angel Tilvar, said in Chisinau
    during the talks he held on Monday with his Moldovan counterpart, Anatolie
    Nosatîi.
    The Moldovan servicemen have recently received from Romania Kevlar helmets,
    bullet-proof vests and all-terrain vehicles. The donation is part of Romania’s
    ongoing efforts to support the upgrading and streamlining of the defence
    structures in the neighbouring state. According to a press release by the
    Defence Ministry in Bucharest, the two officials have also tackled aspects concerning
    the latest developments in the regional security caused by the aggression war
    Russia is presently waging on Ukraine, with emphasis on the situations caused
    by the latest bombing of Ukraine’s ports on the Danube close to the borders
    with Romania and the Republic of Moldova.






    TENNIS Romanian
    tennis player, Sorana Cirstea, started off on the right foot at the WTA 1000
    tournament in Montreal, Canada with 2.800.000 dollars in prize money. The
    Romanian secured a two-set win 6-4, 7-6, against Varvara Gracheva of France in
    a match, which took place on Monday. In the second round Cirstea will be
    playing the winner of the match pitching Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic
    against Anastasia Potapova. If she won, the Romanian might play in the round of
    16 against top-seeded Iga Swiatek of Poland, who plays Karolina Pliskova of the
    Czech Republic in the second round.






    FESTIVAL The
    24th edition of the international festival Enescu and the World’s
    Music kicks off today in the resort of Sinaia, southern Romania. Concerts are
    being held at the local casino, the city museum, the George Enescu Memorial,
    the Dimitrie Ghica park and the Catholic church. According to the organizers,
    this festival has been devoted to the young people and young orchestras and
    mainly to the winners of national and international contests. The event is also
    devoted to the famous Romanian artists who are involved in the process of
    training the young generation of musicians, as part of this Romanian project.
    The festival is due to end on August 31.


















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  • The special pensions reform under the scrutiny

    The special pensions reform under the scrutiny


    Under the protocols of the incumbent ruling coalition in Bucharest, the PSD leader Marcel Ciolacu will be replacing Liberal leader Nicolae Ciuca as Romanias Prime Minister. With the mandate, Ciolacu is also going to inherit the prickly issue of the so-called special pensions, which arent complying with the contribution principle and are presently benefitting former MPs, diplomats, magistrates or retired employees of the countrys defence, security and public order structures.


    The project of reforming the special pensions system can be endorsed by Parliament by the end of the present session but the assumption of the governments responsibility is also being considered, Ciolacu went on to say. He says that he is having a permanent dialogue on the issue with his party colleague and the incumbent Labour Minister Marius Budăi. The issue, as the future Prime Minister admits, is that the file should have been closed by now as it was included in the third payment request for the funding of the countrys National Plan of Recovery and Resilience, through which Brussels financially supports a part of Romanias reforms and investment.


    Budăi is expected to leave for Brussels next week for a new round of talks on this issue with European officials. Until then, the World Bank has completed a report on the impact of the new measures proposed by the coalition regarding the special pensions and according to the press the document shows the result in terms of budget spending cuts would be insignificant. According to WB experts, the progressive taxation of up to 15% of the special pensions will have negligible effects and the same goes for another measure, which eliminated five bonuses and would lead to only a 2% deduction from the servicemens pensions. Defence Minister Angel Tîlvăr, also with the PSD, has again insisted that no one should touch the pensions of the retired soldiers, which arent actually special pensions. The minister argues that a large number of young people should be attracted into the armed forces.


    “We are talking in vain about tanks, rockets, corvettes, frigates and the other things that we want and we are going to have. All these things need highly-trained personnel as the Romanian Army presently boasts, and thats why I insist on attracting young people into the army but also on encouraging them to remain in the armed forces by ensuring a certain standard of living and the predictability of a career in this field”, the minister says. The opposition USR says that the PSD and PNL are actually duping the Romanians that they really want to eliminate the special pensions and has dubbed the Liberal Prime Minister Ciuca a three-necktie statesman who is presently benefitting from the special pension of a retired general and will soon add a second one of a former MP.


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  • 25.04.2023 (mise à jour)

    25.04.2023 (mise à jour)

    Buenos Aires – En visite officielle en Argentine, le président roumain, Klaus Iohannis, a convenu avec son homologue argentin Alberto Fernandez, de dynamiser le dialogue politique et diplomatique et d’intensifier la coopération dans plusieurs domaines : la protection de l’environnement et les changements climatiques, l’éducation, la recherche et l’innovation, la numérisation, l’agriculture, l’énergie verte, le nucléaire civil, la culture et le tourisme. « L’Argentine est un ami traditionnel de la Roumanie dans la région de l’Amérique latine » a déclaré le président Iohannis rappelant que ce lundi les deux Etats ont célébré les 92 ans écoulés depuis la création des représentations diplomatiques permanentes des deux Etats. Un mémorandum entre le ministère roumain de l’Intérieur par le département des situations d’urgence et l’agence argentine de coopération internationale et d’assistance humanitaire – « les casques blancs », a également été signé mardi en présence des deux chefs d’Etat. S’y ajoute aussi la signature d’un document bilatéral de coopération dans le domaine de la recherche agricole et de la protection de l’environnement. Klaus Iohannis et Alberto Fernandez ont également évoqué les évolutions enregistrées dans toute une série de dossiers régionaux prioritaires, avec un accent sur les perspectives de résolution de ceux-ci. L’Argentine conclut la tournée que le président roumain Klaus Iohannis a fait en Amérique latine et démarrée le 18 avril. Le chef de l’Etat a visité aussi le Brésil et le Chili.

    Skopje – Visite ce mardi du ministre roumain de la défense Angel Tîlvăr, en Macédoine du nord. Le responsable roumain a rencontré le président Stevo Pendarovski et la ministre de la Défense, Slavjanka Petrovska. Au cours de sa visite, les responsables des deux Etats ont évoqué le dialogue politique et militaire entre leurs pays, l’instruction en commun ou encore la collaboration dans les domaines de l’enseignement militaire et des forces d’opérations spéciales. Le ministre roumain a souligné l’engagement des alliés de mettre en œuvre les mesures alliées de dissuasion et de défense sur le territoire de la Roumanie. Il a également remercié la Macédoine du nord pour sa contribution avec un peloton d’infanterie à la Brigade multinationale sud-est en Roumanie, qui constitue un signal fort de la solidarité alliée. Parallèlement, Bucarest soutien fortement les aspirations européennes des Etats des Balkans de l’ouest, a déclaré le ministre Angel Tîlvăr qui a également réitéré l’implication totale de la Roumanie dans l’appui accordé au peuple ukrainien et a souligné l’importance de la poursuite du soutien international accordé à ce pays.

    Education – Quelques centaines de syndicalistes de l’Education nationale ont manifesté mardi à Bucarest, une heure durant, devant le siège du gouvernement, dénonçant les salaires trop bas. Les syndicats rejettent les mesures envisagées par l’Exécutif afin de réduire les dépenses budgétaire, estimant qu’elles auront un impact négatif sur les salariés du système. Ils ont annoncé leur intention de poursuivre les protestations, mercredi, toujours devant le siège du gouvernement et d’organiser aussi une marche, le 10 mai prochain. Plus de 15 000 manifestants y sont attendus.

    Autriche – Le ministre autrichien de l’Intérieur, Gerhard Karner, effectuera mercredi une visite officielle en Roumanie pour des pourparlers avec son homologue roumain, Lucian Bode. Au centre des discussions : la situation de la migration en UE et notamment la lutte commune contre le trafic de migrants et les abus en matière d’asile, sans oublier la protection des frontières extérieures. Pour rappel, à la fin de l’année dernière, le ministre autrichien de l’Intérieur s’est opposé à l’adhésion de la Roumanie et de la Bulgarie à l’espace Schengen, invoquant justement le fait que la Roumanie se trouverait sur la route balkanique de la migration illégale, une accusation démentie par le gouvernement de Bucarest et par les institutions européennes, dont l’Europol.

    Tennis – La joueuse de tennis roumaine Sorana Cîrstea s’est qualifiée mardi au 2e tour du tournoi WTA 1000 de Madrid, après avoir vaincu l’Américaine Lauren Davis, sur le score de 6-3, 3-6, 6-1. La prochaine adversaire de la Roumaine sera Arina Sabalenka de Biélorussie, n° 2 mondiale, qu’elle a d’ailleurs vaincue récemment dans les quarts de finale du tournoi de Miami. Ce mardi encore, la Roumaine Ana Bodgan a eu raison de la Hongroise Anna Bondar. A son tour, Gabriela Ruse a vaincu la Française Leolia Jeanjean, au dernier round des qualifications au tableau principal de la compétition espagnole.

    Météo – Dans les 24 prochaines heures les températures seront à la baisse en Roumanie. Le ciel sera couvert et l’on attend des pluies à verse sur le centre, l’est et le sud du territoire, alors que la neige et la giboulée sont attendues en montagne, à plus de 1600 m d’altitude. Le vent sera plus fort aussi, notamment sur les sommets, où les rafales pourraient dépasser les 75-85 km/h. Les maxima de mercredi devraient aller de 8 à 18 degrés.

  • April 14, 2023

    April 14, 2023

    Ukraine – Romania will continue to support Ukraine as long as it is necessary to protect its sovereignty and territorial integrity, said the Romanian Defense Minister Angel Tîlvăr, on Thursday, in Bucharest, after the meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart, Oleksii Reznikov. The Ukrainian defense minister was on his first official visit to Romania, where he participated in the first conference on security in the Black Sea organized within the International Crimea Platform. During the meeting, the Romanian minister condemned in the toughest terms the war of aggression illegally and unjustifiably launched by Russia against Ukraine, which killed many civilians and destroyed critical infrastructure in many regions of Ukraine. The agenda of the meeting included talks on aspects related to the intensification of bilateral cooperation, also in the context of the EU and NATO, the Romanian side reiterating the importance of continuing the political and military dialogue and its implementation by prioritizing the implementation of the Comprehensive Assistance Package within the Alliance.



    Expenses — All Romanian ministries have presented plans to reduce expenses to balance the budget, but many do not want to give up the allocated funds. According to Radio Romania’s correspondent, they justified every penny they received from the budget, while others came with small reductions, so that, all in all, the sum of the proposed spending reductions is far from the target of 20 billion lei (approx. 4 billion Euros), which should be saved until the end of the year. The Labor Ministry proposes a 20% reduction in fuel expenses and a reduction in non-essential internal and external trips. The Tourism Ministry is also considering the tourism marketing chapter. However, there are also ministries that will not substantially reduce expenses, such as the Ministry of European Investments and Projects, where the employees are paid mostly from European money, while the Ministry of Culture proposed savings of only 2 million lei. All proposals will be analyzed next week in the government meeting. Also next week, the Finance Ministry is expected to come up with its own analysis regarding the reduction of expenses and the increase in budget receipts.



    Good Friday – Easter is celebrated on Sunday, but until then, Orthodox Christians (majority in Romania) and the Greek Catholics mark Good Friday today. This is a day when they remember the death of Jesus Christ on the cross and His placement in the tomb. Good Friday is the day when Jesus Christ was crucified between two thieves, being accused of blasphemy and opposing the Roman authority. According to the Gospel texts, at the moment when Jesus died on the cross, the earth shook, the rocks split and the tombs broke. After being taken down from the cross, Jesus was placed in the tomb provided by Joseph of Arimathea, a wealthy man of the time. The burial of Jesus is symbolized today by the placement of the Holy Epitaph in the middle of the churches, which is then carried around the church. This procession takes place during the Good Friday service, which is actually a symbolic funeral service for our Lord Jesus.



    Washington – A member of the US Air National Guard, suspected of being the author of the recent leaks of classified information of the Pentagon, was arrested on Thursday in Massachusetts, in the northeast of the United States. His name is Jack Teixeira and he is 21 years old. According to American media, he runs “Thug Shaker Central”, an online group where about 20-30 people express their passion for guns and video games. Originally posted on the groups web page – “Thug Shaker Central”, the secret documents that have been leaked since last weekend also on the Twitter and Telegram social networks give an image of the information gathering activities carried out by the US on a global level. Information was leaked about the Russian-Ukrainian war and the Western military aid offered to Kyiv. Dated from February and March, these documents show the shortcomings of both the Russian and Ukrainian armies. (LS)

  • 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)

  • February 17, 2023

    February 17, 2023

    Timişoara – The city of Timişoara, in western Romania, officially becomes, as of today, for one year, a European Capital of Culture. Approximately 16,000 people are expected to participate in the 130 events taking place this weekend, on the occasion of the official opening of the program. The entire city will be animated by concerts, exhibitions, street performances, theater plays, film screenings and workshops, all under the slogan “Shine your light — Light up your city!” More than 100 Romanian and foreign officials, including about 40 ambassadors, the Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă and the European Commissioner Adina Vălean have confirmed their participation in the opening gala at the Palace of Culture in Timișoara. Moreover, Adina Vălean will hand the local authorities the “Melina Mercouri” award, worth 1.5 million Euros, which is awarded to cities that have fulfilled their commitments in the “European Capitals of Culture” program.



    Chişinău – The new government of the Republic of Moldova (with a majority Romanian-speaking population) was inaugurated and sworn in before the pro-Western president Maia Sandu. Prime Minister Dorin Recean warned that in the coming period the intensity of hybrid attacks by the Russian Federation was likely to increase and that, in the event of an aggression, the neutrality status of the Republic of Moldova did not provide any guarantees. Radio Romania’s correspondents in Chişinău note that the government led by Recean will have to face not only a security situation complicated by the war in neighboring Ukraine, but also the economic and energy crises. The Romanian Prime Minister, Nicolae Ciucă, congratulated Recean for the vote obtained and for assuming the responsibility of leading the Government of the Republic of Moldova, and gave assurances regarding the continuation of the dialogue and the identification of support solutions for the European path.



    Rome – The Speaker of Romania’s Chamber of Deputies, Marcel Ciolacu, continues his visit to Italy today. He is to meet with the Interior Minister, Matteo Piantedosi, and then he will meet with representatives of the diocesan communities in the Lazio Region. On Thursday, the Romanian official talked with the mayor of Rome, Roberto Gualtieri, about the organization of a bilateral economic forum in Rome. Marcel Ciolacu has said that Italy is Romanias second important commercial partner, and Rome is ‘home to over 200,000 Romanian citizens’. Also on Thursday, the president of the Chamber of Deputies met in Rome with his Italian counterpart, Lorenzo Fontana.



    Conference – The Romanian Defense Minister, Angel Tîlvăr, and the Foreign Minister, Bogdan Aurescu, are participating, from Friday until Sunday, in the Munich Security Conference (MSC), a representative forum for discussions on the current dynamics of international security. Bogdan Aurescu participates, as the main speaker, in the round table Security in the Black Sea Region: From Cyberstorm and Brinkmanship to Border Confrontation?, organized by the think tanks New Strategy Center (NSC) and Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA). Minister Angel Tîlvăr participates in the conference sessions focused on regional security developments, the implications of Russias war of aggression against Ukraine, as well as regional stability and security. He will also attend the debates on the conference report (Munich Security Report), a document that highlights the profound changes in the security environment and the consequences of the unprovoked and unjustified war waged by Russia in Ukraine. Among the guests are prominent personalities from NATO, the EU, the UN and other international organizations, as well as important global decision-makers.



    Earthquake – A moderate earthquake, with a magnitude of 4.3, occurred on Friday in Gorj county (southwest Romania), at a depth of 15 kilometers, according to the data of the National Institute for Earth Physics. The intensity of the earthquake was revised from 4.4 to 4.3 degrees, following the operators calculations. On Tuesday, a 5.7 magnitude earthquake occurred in Gorj county, the largest ever produced in that area. The day before, the area was shaken by a 5.2 magnitude earthquake. On March 4, 1977, an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.2, the worst to hit Romania, resulted in the death of 1,570 people, most of them in Bucharest, and caused property damage estimated at over two billion dollars at the time. The earthquake generated an economic and social crisis that, according to historians, the communist dictatorship of the time could not overcome until its collapse in 1989. (LS)