Radio România Internațional

Tag: trilateral

  • Romania-Bulgaria-Greece trilateral

    Romania-Bulgaria-Greece trilateral

    Energy interconnection is the secret of better services and prices for our citizens, but it will also lead to the reconstruction of Ukraine – the Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said on Tuesday in Varna, on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast. He represented Romania at a meeting with counterparts from Bulgaria and Greece, which was also attended by representatives of the European Commission. The Romanian PM also wanted to emphasize that Romania was not currently importing gas, being energy independent, which is desirable, as soon as possible, for the whole of Europe.



    Marcel Ciolacu reviewed what was discussed at the trilateral meeting in Varna, in a press conference: “I would like to emphasize the need to build a new bridge on the Danube, between Giurgiu and Ruse, and also the need to increase the navigation capacity on the Danube, the Fast Danube project. In the case of both projects, together with Commissioner Vălean, we are trying, through the funds available to the European Council, to speed them up and meet the necessary deadlines. Also in the context of interconnectivity, we have also shown the challenges we face on the energy market, with a particular focus on supply security.



    Besides the importance of the start of negotiations for EU accession with Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Georgia, the three Romanian, Bulgarian and Greek prime ministers also tackled the objective of solving the case of Romanias and Bulgarias accession to the Schengen Area. Romania complies with the accession criteria and wants that, in the next period, applied talks should take place with the two states – Austria and the Netherlands – which are still opposed to this approach – said Marcel Ciolacu.



    The Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, welcomed the European initiative of the railway corridor from the Baltic and Black Seas to the Aegean Sea. And the Bulgarian Prime Minister, Nikolai Denkov, stated that Romania, Bulgaria and Greece want to join efforts to reach the level of development of rich European countries and be an example for the neighboring countries. The three officials also signed an agreement to increase trilateral cooperation in South-Eastern Europe.



    The document is meant to improve energy, digital and transport connectivity between Romania, Bulgaria and Greece, with a possible extension to the Republic of Moldova. The trilateral in Varna was the second in this format, after a previous first meeting in Athens, and the Prime Minister Ciolacu expressed hope that the next meeting will take place in Romania. (LS)

  • October 9, 2023 UPDATE

    October 9, 2023 UPDATE

    Visit — The Romanian President Klaus Iohannis will receive, on Tuesday, at the Cotroceni Palace, his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, who is paying an official visit to Romania. According to the Romanian Presidential Administration, the visit reconfirms the continuation of Romanias unconditional support for Ukraine, in the context of Russias illegal war against this country, as well as the special nature of the relationship between the two states, its potential and the need to discuss, at the highest level, the projects and themes of common interest. “The in-depth political consultations will allow the analysis of the extensive measures decided and implemented by Romania in support of Ukraine, in order to strengthen them, as well as the discussion of the security situation in the region and at the Black Sea and the steps necessary for its management”, the quoted source also stated. Klaus Iohannis will also focus on “constructive and pragmatic approaches in the priority areas of bilateral cooperation and common interest, especially on the expansion of cross-border connections, the development of economic relations, the European and Euro-Atlantic integration of Ukraine, as well as the full respect of the rights of persons belonging to minorities national”.



    Meeting — Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis ended his four-day state visit to Portugal on Monday, with a meeting with Prime Minister Antonio Costa. Two memoranda of understanding in the fields of energy and investments and trade were signed in the presence of the two dignitaries. Also on Monday, Iohannis received the key to the city of Lisbon, in a ceremony that took place at the Municipal Palace. He stated that the successful development of the Portuguese capital remains a source of real inspiration and that the exchange of good practices is fundamental for development at the national level as well as at the level of regions and cities. Klaus Iohannis said that the exemplary relations between Romania and Portugal are strengthened by dynamic exchanges at the local level and by intense cooperation with the Lisbon City Hall. The Romanian president recalled that emblematic figures of Romanian spirituality and culture lived in this city, in the interwar period, such as ‘Mircea Eliade, a well-known historian of religions, and Lucian Blaga, a great poet and philosopher’.



    Trilateral – PM Marcel Ciolacu said on Monday in Varna, Bulgaria, that during the Romania – Bulgaria – Greece trilateral meeting the 3 countries agreed to implement a joint action plan aimed at significant development in trilateral cooperation in sectors such as transports, energy, trade and security. “In the presence of EC officials, of the Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis and the Bulgarian PM Nikolay Denkov, we have reiterated Romanias ambition of quickly becoming a Schengen member state and an influential economic player in the region,” Marcel Ciolacu said. The Romanian official also added that Romania, in a partnership with Bulgaria and Greece, may have a greater influence in the EU, promoting its central role in the reconstruction of Ukraine and its willingness to see the Republic of Moldova and Western Balkans countries joining the European bloc as soon as possible.



    Tel Aviv — The Israeli army has announced that it has taken control of all the cities near the border with the Gaza Strip and is preparing new actions, after the terrorist attacks of Hamas. The authorities in Tel Aviv promise a total siege in the Gaza Strip, from where thousands of rockets have left for Israel. In addition, says the defense minister, a siege is imposed on this territory: no electricity, no water, no gas – everything is closed. On the other hand, Reuters announces that Hamas is negotiating the release of Israeli women and children taken hostage in exchange for 36 Palestinian women and children who are in Israeli prisons. So far, it is not clear how many Israelis were abducted and taken to Gaza. According to the latest data, as a result of the escalation of the conflict, approximately 500 Palestinians were killed and 2,700 were injured. In Israel, over 700 people were killed and over 2,200 injured. Israels security cabinet declared a state of war.



    Repatriation — A 22-year-old Romanian died on Monday in Israel. He had dual citizenship and was part of the Israeli Defense Forces, announced the Romanian Foreign Ministry, firmly condemning the attacks against the Israeli population. On the other hand, another 780 Romanian citizens have announced that they want to leave Israel, said the Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu. They will be brought by the TAROM airline, and the number of repatriated Romanians will thus rise to 1,600. The Foreign Ministry reiterates the recommendation addressed to Romanian citizens who intend to travel to Israel to reschedule their trip and follow the “Travel Alerts” section on the institutions website. A team of the ministrys Crisis Cell Rapid Response Unit was sent to Israel to support repatriation efforts.



    Commemoration – In Romania, the National Day of Commemoration of the Victims of the Holocaust was marked on Monday. On October 9, 1941, the deportation of Jews from Bessarabia and Bukovina to Transnistria began. The Holocaust was recognized by the Romanian authorities in 2004, based on the conclusions drawn up by the committee led by the Nobel prize winner, Elie Wiesel. The Jews and Roma who died during the Holocaust were commemorated in Bucharest, at the memorial built in their memory. (LS)

  • October 9, 2023

    October 9, 2023

    WAR Clashes were still reported on Monday between the
    Israeli army and Palestinian fighters infiltrated in the south of the country
    from Gaza, after Israel reportedly hit over 500 targets of Hamas and the
    Islamic Jihad organisations during the night. The Israeli defence forces have
    full control over the southern part of the country, attacked by the Palestinian
    Hamas forces, an Israeli military spokesman said on Monday, quoted by AFP and
    Reuters. This is the 3rd day of violent clashes that have so far
    killed around 1,200 people, over 700 of whom Israelis and at least 493
    Palestinians, EFE reported on Monday. Israel’s security cabinet declared war following the attacks of the Palestinian
    organisation Hamas, allowing the government to undertake significant military
    activities, the PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced on Sunday.


    ISRAEL On Monday 96 Romanian nationals were repatriated from Israel, via
    Jordan, on a Tarom flight, the foreign ministry announced. Another 245 Romanian citizens were repatriated on Sunday, including 2 pilgrim
    groups. The foreign ministry reiterates its recommendation that Romanian
    nationals should reschedule their planned trips to Israel and monitor the Travel
    Alerts section on its home page. Meanwhile, a mobile consular team from the
    Romanian embassy in Israel and from Romania’s representation office in Ramallah is at Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv
    to provide assistance to the Romanians there. A unit from the ministry’s emergency
    response team has also been deployed to Israel, to help in the repatriation
    efforts.


    VISIT The president of Romania Klaus Iohannis is on a visit to Portugal,
    where he is scheduled to have talks today with PM António Costa, with the president
    of the Assembly of the Republic Augusto Santos Silva, and with Portuguese MPs.
    On Saturday, Iohannis had a meeting with his Portuguese counterpat, Marcelo
    Rebelo de Sousa, discussing the war in neighbouring Ukraine, in which context
    he reiterated thanks for Portugal’s substantial contribution to the defence and
    deterrence posture on NATO’s eastern flank. The presence on Portuguese troops
    in Romania is a strong signal of Portugal’s solidarity and support to
    strengthening Romania’s security, president Iohannis said. On the other hand,
    the president of Portugal said his country was supporting Romania’s Schengen
    and OECD accession.


    MEETING PM Marcel Ciolacu said today in Varna, Bulgaria, that during the
    Romania – Bulgaria – Greece trilateral meeting the 3 countries agreed to
    implement a joint action plan aimed at significant development in trilateral
    cooperation in sectors such as transports, energy, trade and security. In the
    presence of EC officials, of the Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis and the Bulgarian
    PM Nikolay Denkov, we have reiterated Romania’s ambition of quickly becoming a
    Schengen member state and an influential economic player in the region, Marcel
    Ciolacu said. The Romanian official also added that Romania, in a partnership
    with Bulgaria and Greece, may have a greater influence in the EU, promoting its
    central role in the reconstruction of Ukraine and its willingness to see the
    Republic of Moldova and Western Balkans countries joining the European bloc as
    soon as possible.


    HOLOCAUST Romania marks today the National Holocaust Remembrance Day. On
    October 9, 1941, the deportation of Jews from Bessarabia and Bukovina to
    Transdniester started. The Holocaust was recognised by the Romanian authorities
    in 2004, based on the conclusions reached by a commission headed by Nobel prize
    winner Elie Wiesel. The Jews and Roma who died during the Holocaust were
    commemorated in Bucharest, while Timişoara is hosting a concert organised by
    the local Jewish community.


    SWIMMING The Romanian athlete David Popovici, the defending European
    champion in the 100 and 200m freestyle races, won all the 4 short course competitions
    in which he took part this weekend in Nyon (Switzerland). On Sunday he finished
    the 100m and 50m freestyle events in the first position, with 47.22s and 21.83s
    respectively, after on Saturday he had won the 400 and 200m freestyle races. The
    competition in Switzerland is training opportunity ahead of the European short
    course championships scheduled in December in Otopeni, near Bucharest. (AMP)

  • May 28, 2022 UPDATE

    May 28, 2022 UPDATE


    TALKS The prime minister of Romania Nicolae Ciucă Saturday received a delegation of the US Senate headed by Senator Robert Portman. PM Ciucă presented the situation of Ukrainian exports and of Romanias efforts to support the food security of the affected countries, particularly those in the Middle East and Northern Africa, and the viability of Ukraines economy. He mentioned support options including the ports of Constanţa and Galaţi, navigation on the Danube to central Europe, railway and road transport. A large part of the talks was devoted to Russias invasion in Ukraine and the need for concrete support for this country. Senator Robert Portman thanked Romania for its efforts and highlighted his interest in the country, considering that the state he is representing, Ohio, is home to a large community of Romanians and an important Ukrainian community.



    DIPLOMACY The Romanian foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu was received on Friday by the president of Tukey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, on the sidelines of a trilateral security meeting that brought together the foreign ministers of Romania, Poland and Turkey in Istanbul. Erdogan commended Romanias and Polands management of the humanitarian crisis entailed by Russias aggression in Ukraine, while Bogdan Aurescu highlighted Turkeys role at the Black Sea. The Romanian foreign minister also voiced support for NATOs open door policy and for the accession of Sweden and Finland. Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Bogdan Aurescu also emphasised the relevance of the bilateral strategic partnership signed in 2011, in the current geopolitical circumstances.



    CYBER ATTACK The English version of the website of the Romanian defence ministry has been attacked by hackers. The DDOS cyber-attack took place on Friday night, and experts with the ministrys cyber defence unit managed to restore the website in around 30 minutes. The ministry says the website does not contain sensible or classified databases and the attack did not affect other services or networks of the institution. Investigations are under way to identify the source of the attack. A distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack is a malicious attempt to disrupt the normal traffic of a targeted server, by overwhelming the target or its surrounding infrastructure with a flood of Internet traffic.



    RADIO CHIŞINAU The Romanian Radio Broadcasting Corporation issued a news release stating it was confident the decision to ban the use of the name “Chişinău” in the name of the radio station Radio Chişinău was a misunderstanding and it has reasons to believe the situation will be resolved. Radio Romania mentions that at Fridays meeting of the Chişinău City Council, a draft decision on the use of the name Chişinău was dismissed by a majority of Council members. The name of the city Chişinău was used by Radio Chişinău, a Radio Romania station, between 2011 and 2021, based on a similar validation procedure. Radio Romania emphasized that, should the situation continue, it will have to take all the necessary administrative and judicial steps to address it, to the benefit of its listeners in the Republic of Moldova. Previously, the Romanian foreign ministry said the decision of the Chişinǎu Council was unjustified, ungrounded and driven by political considerations.



    FESTIVAL “Mogoşoaia Classic Fest” takes place this weekend at the Brâncovenesc Palace (near Bucharest), under the title “Cultures of the world.” The festival includes exhibitions, film screenings and performances, concerts. The music, fine arts, dance, images and traditions of 8 countries are showcased in the festival: Armenia, Spain, Hungary, Lithuania, Peru, Mexico, China and Romania.



    TENNIS The Romanian Irina Begu Saturday qualified into the 8th-finals of the Roland Garros tournament, after defeating Leolia Jeanjean of France 6-1, 6-4, in the 3rd round. The round of 16 is the best performance for the Romanian player in Grand Slams. Begu is the only Romanian player left in the singles competition of this years tournament in Paris. (AMP)


  • May 27, 2022 UPDATE

    May 27, 2022 UPDATE


    Summit. President Klaus Iohannis will attend the European Council summit on May 30-31, which will focus on the security situation and the consequences of the Russian aggression against Ukraine. European leaders will discuss ways to further provide political, economic and financial support to Ukraine, including the EUs involvement in post-war reconstruction efforts, the Romanian presidents office announced on Friday. The EU Council summit will also address the need to help Moldova consolidate its resilience. The EU heads of state and government will also examine approaches to ensure continuous food exports from Ukraine in order to maintain food safety at global level. Another topic on the summits agenda is streamlining the EU single electricity market in order to keep volatile prices in check and to protect vulnerable categories, the Presidents office also said in a statement.



    Trilateral. The security architecture in Europe and the Euro-Atlantic area was seriously affected by Russias illegal war against Ukraine, said Romanias foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu in Istanbul, where he attended the trilateral meeting between Romania, Poland and Turkey. “This is an unprecedented threat. I emphasised that the most important thing we must do now, as allies, is to consolidate Euro-Atlantic security in the long term”, said the Romanian minister. He also spoke about supporting Ukraine, recalling that over one million people fleeing war in this neighbouring country have crossed the border into Romania, and that the humanitarian assistance has been substantial. Aurescu also said Romania was willing to help with the transport of goods from Ukraine, including grain, via its Danube ports and the Black Sea port of Constanţa.




    PNRR. Next week, Romania is expected to submit to the European Commission the first funding request under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) worth 3 billion euros, after the government adopted the last piece of legislation required, namely a mechanism that will help prevent the mismanagement of funds. This was the third prerequisite Romania had to fulfil before submitting its funding request. The first referred to verification procedures for completing its milestones, while the second prerequisite was to upload evidence of having fulfilled the 21 milestones by the end of 2021.




    Radio. The Romanian foreign ministry said in a statement it regrets the decision of the municipal council of the capital of the Republic of Moldova, which it describes as “unjustified and unfounded” to ban the use of the Chişinău place name by Radio Chişinău, a station that forms part of the Romanian Radio Broadcasting Corporation. The ministry hopes the necessary measures will be taken to address the situation of the station from an administrative and legal point of view as soon as possible. Radio Chişinău has been present on the media market in the Republic of Moldova since 1 December 2011 and has stood out from the beginning for the quality and fairness of its reporting and editorial content and the professionalism of its team, the statement by the Romanian foreign ministry also reads.




    Tennis. Romanias Irina Begu will be playing Frances Leolia Jeanjean on Saturday in the third round at Roland Garros. She defeated Russias Ekaterina Alexandrova in three sets on Thursday and is the only Romanian player still in competition in the womens singles. In the womens doubles, the Romanian-Ukrainian pair Gabriela Ruse and Marta Kostiuk defeated the all-British pair Samantha Murray Sharan and Heather Watson to reach the next round and will next be facing the American-Chinese pair Catherine McNally and Shuai Zhang. (CM)


  • April 23, 2021

    April 23, 2021

    COVID-19 The way out of the COVID-19 pandemic is mass vaccination, the president of Romania Klaus Iohannis said today. He added that containment measures will be eased out as the number of SARS-CoV-2 infections, of patients in ICUs and of COVID-related deaths decreases. Yesterday, at the end of the first meeting of an inter-ministry committee working to ensure Romanias return to normal as of June 1, PM Florin Cîțu said in his turn that the return to normal life is conditional on vaccination. The number of people who have received at least one vaccine dose in Romania is now over 2.8 million. Meanwhile, the authorities announced on Friday over 2,500 new infections in 24 hours, and 170 COVID-related deaths. Another 1,391 patients are in intensive care. Three counties in Romania, Bucharest, Ilfov in the south-east and Cluj in the centre, are still in the red zone, with little over 4 COVID cases per thousand inhabitants, while the other counties report rates below 3 per thousand.



    MEETING The Romania-Poland-Turkey trilateral meeting works very well, and its relevance and effectiveness have grown significantly, contributing in its 9 years of existence, to strengthening the North-Atlantic Alliance and to ensuring security in the eastern flank, including the Black Sea region, the Romanian foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu said. The Romanian official took part on Friday in the plenary session of the meeting, alongside his counterparts from Poland, Zbigniew Rau and Turkey, Mevlut Cavuşoglu. At the end of the meeting, the 3 foreign ministers signed a joint declaration, for the first time since the trilateral meeting has been held. Today the participants tackled security-related topics, with a focus on the regional situation, on the outcomes of the latest NATO minister-level meetings and on the prospects for this years summit of the Alliance. The 3 countries officials emphasised on Friday that they would like NATO to be a stronger political and military actor, with global reach. The participants also discussed the progress in implementing the projects selected in the 2020 trilateral meeting and the ways to strengthen trilateral dialogue, including by developing new projects.



    ECONOMY All EU member countries ended the year 2020 with budget deficit. According to Eurostat, Romania was among the states with the highest deficit figures, 9.2% of GDP, double the level reported the previous year. Eurostat preliminary data point to a skyrocketing budget deficit EU-wide, from 0.5% of GDP in 2019 to 6.9% last year. The highest levels, ranging between 11% and 9.5%, were reported in Spain, Malta, Greece, Italy, Belgium and France. Denmark is the only country that reported budget deficit below 3%.



    PANDEMIC Greece, one of Romanians summer holiday destinations of choice, was included by the Romanian authorities in the list of countries with high epidemic risk, due to the large number of coronavirus infections. The list now comprises 60 countries and regions. Alongside Greece, it also includes Turkey, Bulgaria, the Maldives, France, Italy, Austria, Germany and the US. Travellers returning from these countries must produce a negative COVID test before boarding the plane or coach. People having tested negative will still isolate for 10 days upon arrival. The measure does not apply for travellers having received both vaccine doses, or having recovered from the disease in the past 90 days. The total number of coronavirus infections is now over 145 million worldwide, with more than 123 million patients recovered and some 3 million deaths reported by worldometers.info. In Germany, a controversial law takes effect today, which grants more powers to the federal government. Italy has in turn extended the state of emergency until the end of July. France is lifting part of the restrictions as of 3 May, with children returning to schools, but with night curfews still in place.



    TENNIS Romanian player Simona Halep, seed no 2 in the WTA tournament in Stuttgart (Germany), plays today against Russias Ekaterina Alexandrova in the quarter-finals of the competition. On Thursday in the round of 16, Alexandrova defeated the Swiss Belinda Bencic 6-1, 7-5, whereas Halep beat the Czech Marketa Vondrousova 6-1, 6-3. Simona Halep and Ekaterina Alexandrova have played against each other 3 times so far, with the Russian winning 2 of the matches. Two other Romanian players, Sorana Cirstea and Ana Bogdan, take on Russias Veronika Kudermetova and Belgiums Fiona Ferro, respectively, in the quarter-finals of the Istanbul tournament. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

  • April 22, 2021 UPDATE

    April 22, 2021 UPDATE

    COVID-19 Three counties in Romania, Bucharest, Ilfov (south-east) and Cluj (centre-west) are still in the red zone, with little over 4 COVID infections per thousand inhabitants. The other counties have reported infections rates below 3 per thousand. On Thursday the authorities announced nearly 3,000 new infections and 150 COVID-related deaths in 24 hours, while 1,405 patients are in intensive care. At the end of the first meeting of an inter-ministry committee working for Romanias returning to normal as of June 1 this year, PM Florin Cîțu said reaching this goal depends on vaccination. It is a prerequisite, this will not happen without vaccination. It is the only solution, the PM said. Vaccination remains the only way to stop the spread of coronavirus, Romanian president Klaus Iohannis said in his turn, urging all who haven’t got the vaccine yet to get immunised because only this way we can have a summer without so many restrictions. The total number of people who got at least one vaccine dose is over than 2.8 million people. According to the authorities, Romania has now the capacity to immunize 120,000 people a day.




    HEALTH Romania’s new Health Minister, Ioana Mihaila, begins her term in office with three key priorities, which she says are going to guide her work, alongside the strategy to curb the pandemic. The new minister’s priorities are, attracting funds for reforms and investment, increasing people’s access to basic medical services as well as raising the competitiveness of the managing boards of hospitals and county health insurance agencies. According to Minister Mihaila, over 2.6 billion Euros worth of EU funds are to be invested in streamlining the country’s healthcare system and in the next government meeting a draft emergency order will be discussed, regulating the involvement of family physicians in the vaccine rollout. Nominated by the USR-PLUS Alliance, Ioana Mihaila has replaced Vlad Voiculescu, recently sacked by the Liberal Prime Minister Florin Citu.




    MEETING Bucharest is hosting for two days the Trilateral Meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Romania, Poland and Turkey. The event was preceded by an online conference on current security challenges. Taking the floor during the event, Romanian Foreign Minister, Bogdan Aurescu has highlighted the value of the trilateral meeting in handling these crises, mainly in consolidating the NATO deterrence and defence posture in the eastern flank. The Romanian official also touched on the complex regional background fraught with concerning developments, affecting the area from the Black Sea to the Baltic Sea and which is mainly visible at Ukraine’s western border and in the illegally occupied Crimea. The situation in the Black Sea region is high on the agenda of the Romania-Poland-Turkey trilateral meeting.




    UKRAINE The president of Romania Klaus Iohannis announced the Supreme Defence Council would convene on 27 April to discuss the situation at the Black Sea. The head of state said tensions emerged in that area, especially in Ukraines eastern border region, and described the situation as “worrying. “I have had several discussions with the defence minister and the heads of other specialised services, we are well aware of the situation there and the tensions emerging in the region are a concern for us, Klaus Iohannis added. On Thursday, Russia announced pulling out the troops it had deployed near the Ukraine-Crimea border, stating the military exercises conducted in the area were completed. “The troops have demonstrated their ability to ensure a reliable defence of the country. So I decided to complete the inspection activities in the southern and western military districts, said Russia’s defence minister Sergei Shoigu in a press release.




    NATO NATO leaders will convene in a summit in Brussels on June 14, the Alliances secretary general Jens Stoltenberg announced on Thursday. “Russias aggressive actions, the threat of terrorism, cyber-attacks, emerging and disruptive technologies, the security impact of climate change, and the rise of China will be on the agenda of the meeting. According to Stoltenberg, “This is a unique opportunity to reinforce NATO as the enduring embodiment of the bond between Europe and North America. Also, he added, decisions will be made on the organisations 2030 agenda to deal with the challenges of today and tomorrow.

    TENNIS
    Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, no. 3 in the world, Thursday defeated Marketa
    Vondrousova of the Czech Republic, 6-1, 6-3 in the round of 16 of the tennis
    tournament in Stuttgart. Halep, a former Roland Garros champion, has won all
    the major clay tournaments in Europe, except for the one in Stuttgart, where
    she only made it to the semifinals in 2017. In 2020, the Romanian clinched two
    titles in Prague and Rome. Also in Stuttgart, the pair made up of Raluca Olaru
    of Romania and Nadia Kicenok of Germany has qualified for the doubles quarter
    finals after a 7-6, 6-4 win against Hayley Carter of the USA and Luisa Stefani
    of Brazil.(tr. A.M. Popescu)

  • April 28, 2020 UPDATE

    April 28, 2020 UPDATE

    TRILATERAL MEETING — Cooperation within NATO and the situation in the Republic of Moldova were discussed on Tuesday via conference call by the Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu and his Polish and Turkish counterparts, Jacek Czaputowicz and Mevlut Cavusoglu. Aurescu highlighted the importance of finding new ways to consolidate NATO and his role at international level in partnership with the countries and organisations that share the same values and objectives. He reiterated the importance of solidarity among allies and of the transatlantic relations as core NATO principles and also the need to continue the process of consolidation of NATO’s deterrence and defence role on the eastern border. The Romania-Poland-Turkey trilateral consultation format was launched in 2012 upon Romanias proposal.




    CORONAVIRUS ROMANIA – Romanian authorities have released a new military decree, the 10th since the state of emergency was declared on March 16. The document eases mobility restrictions for people aged 65 and above, who will be allowed to leave the home between 7-11 AM and 7-10 PM. Interior Minister Marcel Vela said inbound and outgoing flights for 13 countries continue to be banned until May 15. In another development, schools, kindergartens and universities in Romania will remain closed until the end of the academic year. Classes will continue to unfold online until June 12, when the school year will officially close. Only 8th and 12th graders will go to schools in early June to have their final exams. Another 13 people infected with COVID 19 have died, bringing the death toll to 663 in Romania. The latest victims, 10 women and 3 men, were aged 64 to 84. Over 11.600 infections have been reported in Romania and 3.400 people have recovered. Around 2.000 Romanian citizens living abroad have tested positive for COVID-19, most of them in Italy, and 87 have died. President Klaus Iohannis has said the results obtained so far by Romanian authorities, doctors and citizens in the battle with the coronavirus are notable, the infection rate being around 600 to 1 million people, much smaller than in countries like Spain and Italy. Iohannis has warned, however, that the danger has not passed and that a premature relaxation of restriction is likely to annul the progress made in the fight against the disease.




    FINANCIAL – Romanians in the Diaspora invest most in Romania, according to data provided by the World Bank. In 2019, the Dispora sent home 7.2 billion dollars, by 1.5 billion more than the level of foreign investment. The financial contribution of the Romanians abroad accounts for almost 3% of the country’s 2019 GDP. The WB has warned, however, that due to the economic and social measures taken to fight the coronavirus pandemic, the remittances worldwide might drop by 142 billion dollars in 2020, the most significant decline in recent history that may signal a global economic crisis.




    INFECTION — Over 200 Romanian seasonal workers in Germany have tested positive to coronavirus and are under quarantine, the Romanian Foreign Ministry announced on Tuesday. On the other hand, MEP Victor Negrescu has required the Ombudsman’s intervention at EU level to protect the rights of the Romanian seasonal workers. Negrescu has signalled that social distancing restrictions have been infringed in the context of work travels abroad and that labour contract stipulations may give way to abuse. Negrescu says that Romanian workers are not clearly informed on the working conditions, the risks involved and their rights as European citizens. Thousands of Romanians have recently travelled for work to countries like Germany, the UK and Austria, in spited of the coronavirus epidemic and the restrictive measures in place.




    COVID-19 IN THE WORLD – Over 3 million people worldwide have been infected with the coronavirus and over 210,000 people have died to the virus. Of these, over a quarter, 56,000 were reported in the United States, where 90,000 people are infected. More and more states are starting to ease restrictions. Plans to this end are underway in New York, by far the most affected city, where activities might resume gradually starting May 15. President Donald Trump has backed this planned relaxation, despite the authorities plea for increased testing as an additional safety measure. In Europe, Italy, the country with the highest number of deaths, will lift part of the restrictions starting May 4. Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte warned this doesnt mean things will return to normal. Italy has reached the tenth week since the start of the epidemic and the 8th since restrictions are in place. (Translated by Elena Enache)