Radio România Internațional

Tag: Turkey

  • October 31, 2020 UPDATE

    October 31, 2020 UPDATE

    COVID-19 RO. 5,753 new cases of infection with the new coronavirus were reported on Saturday in Romania, following 36,181 tests processed at national level, according to data published by the Strategic Communication Group. Since the beginning of the pandemic 241,339 people have been infected in Romania. A new maximum has been reached in intensive care where 923 patients are now hospitalized. In the last 24 hours, 101 people died, and the total number of deaths due to COVID 19 is close to 7,000. Most new cases were registered in Bucharest: 594. The infection index exceeded four cases per thousand inhabitants in 4 counties: Cluj, Alba, Salaj and Timis. The Minister of Health, Nelu Tătaru, believes that if the hygiene rules and the restrictions imposed by the pandemic are observed, Romania could reach a plateau in approximately 28 days.



    PANDEMIC. More than 46 million cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed at global level and almost 1.2 million deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University of Medicine. The United States has reported more than 9 million infections and 235,000 deaths, followed by India with more than 8 million cases and 121,000 deaths. At least 14 European countries have reached a record number of coronavirus-related hospitalizations this week. Great Britain has exceeded one millon cases, with some 22 thousand reported in 24 hours. On Saturday, Poland reported a daily record of more than 21,000 cases and Germany registered more than 19,000 new cases of coronavirus infection. In the face of the second coronavirus wave, more and more countries are tightening restrictions and even imposing quarantines. Starting Monday, Belgium suspends all non-essential activities. Similar decisions have been made in Ireland and France. Several other countries have imposed local or regional quarantine. Stricter measures will be applied in Iceland from Saturday. Sports events and shows are prohibited, and swimming pools, bars and nightclubs are closed. Slovakia has started a population-wide COVID-19 testing operation, which will be carried out in two stages by means of rapid antigen tests, the results of which are ready in less than 15 minutes.



    HALEP. Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, currently ranking second in the WTA classification, has announced, in a post on Twitter, that she tested positive for the new coronavirus. She is self-isolated at home, with mild symptoms, and her recovery is going well. This year, Halep has won three singles titles in Dubai, Prague and Rome



    EC. The European Commission calls on Romania to fully transpose into national law the Directive on the Conservation of Natural Habitats and of Wild Fauna and Flora, which contributes to the protection of biodiversity in the EU. According to a EC communiqu, Bucharest has two months to remedy the situation. Otherwise, the Commission may decide to send a reasoned opinion. Romanian legislation does not have, among other things, clear provisions regarding natural habitats. In line with the European Green Pact and the Biodiversity Strategy, it is essential that the Union halts the loss of biodiversity by improving and restoring ecosystems, the European Commission explains on its website.



    RAILWAY. As of 31 October, the European railway sector will benefit from new harmonized procedures to reduce costs and administrative burdens aimed at increasing the efficiency and competitiveness of European railways. According to a statement from the EC representation in Romania, the new rules will generate more innovation in this sector, facilitating the operation of railway companies and operators or the sale of new technologies in several European countries. These rules complement the Fourth Railway Package, a series of measures aimed at increasing the efficiency and competitiveness of European railways. In addition, the package stipulates that the European Union Agency for Railways will play a more important role, becoming today responsible for vehicle licensing, safety certification and approvals for land projects related to the European rail traffic management system in all Member States.



    EARTQUAKE. In Turkey, rescue teams in the city of Izmir continue to search for possible survivors through the ruins of buildings that collapsed after the 6.7 magnitude earthquake on Friday in the Aegean Sea. Dozens of peopel have died and about 100 have been rescued from the rubble. Twenty large buildings collapsed in the city. The quake also affected mainland Greece and the Greek islands in the Aegean Sea, especially Samos, where two teenagers were killed by a wall that fell on them. The Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu has sent a message of solidarity to Turkey and Greece.



    CONNERY. Scottish actor Sean Connery died on Saturday, aged 90. The actor enjoyed a long career crowned with numerous awards, including an Oscar, two Bafta awards and three Golden Globes. Sean Connery gained international fame in 1962 as the legendary British spy James Bond, after starring in several television movies. Among the films in which the Scottish actor stood out was Marnie (1964) directed by Alfred Hitchcock, The Man Who Would be King (1975) with Michael Caine, directed by John Huston, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) directed by Steven Spielberg and The Hunt for Red October (1990).



    SONORO. SoNoRo International Chamber Music Festival celebrates 15 years with a series of concerts broadcast live from concert halls. Thus, starting Saturdayuntil December 9, musical events will be broadcast from concert halls in Brașov, Busteni, Sibiu and Bucharest. According to the organizers, those interested can access these concerts on the online platform called festival.sonoro.ro live section, but also on Facebook, on the pages of the Romanian Cultural Institute or Radio Romania Music. (M. Ignatescu)

  • February 29, 2020

    February 29, 2020

    COVID19 Romania has 3 confirmed cases of COVID-19 infection, with the patients current state reported as good. Another 52 people are quarantined across the country, and 8,796 under home monitoring. The healthcare authorities in the counties Timiş in the west and Maramureş in the north-west are running investigations to establish the people who were in contact with the 2 persons who tested positive for the coronavirus on Friday. Both of them had travelled to Italy recently. The first patient in Romania, a 25 year old man from Gorj County, in the south, is feeling well, and Fridays tests came out negative, doctors say. If the next test is also negative, the patient will be discharged. In Europe, Italy remains the most affected country. As the epidemic spread, stock exchanges across the world reported total losses of over 5 trillion US dollars. The BBC says the US financial markets have not been hit so hard since the 2008 financial crisis. Investors fear that the growing number of coronavirus cases outside China may turn the disease into a pandemic.



    ARREST The former healthcare minister in the Social Democratic government Sorina Pintea, currently the manager of the Baia Mare Emergency Hospital in the north-west of the country, was detained on Saturday by the National Anti-Corruption Directorate for continuing bribe taking. According to the DNA, between December 2019 and February 28, this year, Pintea received 10,000 euros and 25,000 euros from a business operator, in 2 instalments, accounting for 7% of the value of a public procurement contract concerning the design and building of a cardiovascular and thoracic surgery unit. The contract was signed in 2019 by the hospital with the company in question. Pintea allegedly received the money in exchange for completing some of her duties as a manager and authorising officer, anti-corruption prosecutors say. They requested the Bucharest Court to approve a 30-day pre-trial arrest order against Pintea. Sorina Pintea was a healthcare minister in Viorica Dancilas left-wing government dismissed last October.



    DISEASE Romania has too few doctors able to diagnose rare diseases, experts warn today, the International Rare Disease Day. They say investments in medical equipment in the field of genetics, which are vital for accurate diagnoses, are scarce. Physicians also warn that rare disease patients and their families face severe challenges in terms of access to care. So far more than 6,000 different rare diseases have been identified, most of which are without treatment across the world. In Romania, such diseases are underdiagnosed.



    MIGRANTS Greece prevented 4,000 migrants to enter its territory “illegally from Turkey, a spokesman for the Greek government announced on Saturday after an emergency meeting chaired by PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis, AFP and Reuters report. On Friday, the country faced a mass, organised and illegal border crossing attempt, but it managed to overcome it, the government spokesperson explained. He added that Greece protected its borders and the borders of the EU. Also on Saturday, in an address in Istanbul, Turkeys president Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his country will open its borders to enable migrants to leave, and criticised the EU for not helping Ankara enough. Turkey says it was forced to ease border controls for the refugees trying to reach the EU from Turkey, because of the pressure of the refugees coming from Syria amid clashes in the rebel stronghold of Idlib.



    SLOVAKIA Slovakia is voting on Saturday for a new Parliament, hoping to fight corruption, frequently linked to the populist, left-of-centre ruling party Smer-SD. The vote may be crucial for the history of the country, which is still outraged by the murder of anti-corruption journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancee in 2018, AFP reports. His killing, ordered by a businessman with political connections, mobilised the public, and polls suggest that the ruling party Smer-SD is running shoulder to shoulder with the centre-right opposition party OLaNO, which turned the fight against corruption into its rallying call. The double murder in 2018 triggered massive street protests against the government, and prime minister Robert Fico had to resign.



    RUSSIA Hundreds of Russian opposition supporters gathered in Moscow on Saturday to protest the constitutional reforms initiated by president Vladimir Putin and to pay tribute to opposition leader Boris Nemtsov, murdered 5 years ago near Kremlin, AFP reports. In Sankt-Petersburg, nearly 2,000 people rallied in the centre of the city. The authorised march is the first important public gathering since Putin announced a Constitution review set to strengthen the role of the president and of the State Council. The killing of Boris Nemtsov in February 2015 had huge echoes in Russia and abroad. Nemtsov was in the middle of an investigation into the involvement of the Russian Army in the east Ukraine war.



    HANDBALL Romanias womens handball champions, CSM Ramnicu Valcea, play today at home against the Swedish side Savehof, in the Champions League Main Group 2. In Main Group 1 in the same competition, vice-champions CSM Bucharest play away from home on Sunday against the French team Metz. The Romanian teams are ranking 4th in their respective groups and CSM is the only one having secured a place in the quarter-finals. In mens handball, champions Dinamo Bucharest take on Sporting Lisbon, on Sunday night, after a 26-25 win away from home. If they go past the Portuguese team, Dinamo move into the Champions League round of 16.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • February 28, 2020 UPDATE

    February 28, 2020 UPDATE

    Government — In Bucharest, the PM designate Florin Citu on Friday submitted in Parliament the list of ministers and the governing program of his cabinet, after they were approved by the National Liberal Party’s executive bureau. The only change to the membership of the new government is at the finance ministry, a portfolio previously held by Florin Citu, who was replaced by Lucian Heius. The PM designate says he will negotiate with the parliamentary parties, as of Monday, the formation of a majority and he is asking the Social Democrats not to delay the timetable for the investiture of the new government. The latter claim however that the list of ministers presented without previous discussions with the parliamentary parties that should have led to the formation of a majority clearly shows that the Liberals are set to trigger off early elections. Similar opinions were expressed by the representatives of the center rightist Save Romania Union, the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania and the center leftist Pro Romania party. The People’s Movement Party (center right) representatives say they will go to consultations with the Liberals. Florin Citu’s nomination by president Klaus Iohannis took place after the Constitutional Court on Monday ruled as unconstitutional the re-designation of Ludovic Orban as interim PM. His government had been dismissed earlier this month through a motion of no confidence.



    Coronavirus Romania — In Romania another two persons — a woman from Timisoara (in the west) and a man from Maramures (in the north) – have been infected with the new coronavirus. They have been hospitalized and are receiving treatment in two local quarantine centers. At present, 3 cases of infection with the new coronavirus have been reported in Romania, the first patient being a man from Gorj (in the south) who is now in a good state in a Bucharest hospital. He seems to have recovered from the virus infection and he will be tested again in the coming days. All the three patients have been in contact with people from Italy, the European country most affected by the coronavirus. The interim health minister Victor Costache has given assurances that around 85% of the persons infected with the virus develop mild or moderate forms of infection. According to a statement from the governments Group for Strategic Communication, 47 persons are in quarantine at the moment and over 8,300 are being monitored at home. The statement also reads that two Romanian citizens infected with the coronavirus on the Diamond Princess cruise ship, which has been quarantined in the Japanese port of Yokohama, are now in hospital in Japan and are in good condition.



    WHO – The World Health Organization on Friday increased the risk assessment of the coronovirus to very high across the world. The WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the increasing number of new cases and of countries affected in the past days was really concerning. He showed that 24 cases of COVID-19 were exported from Italy to 14 countries and 97 cases were exported from Iran to 11 states, while the average number of new infections in China — 329 cases reported in the past 24 hours — has reached the lowest level in more than a month. The coronavirus has spread to Europe with the Netherlands and Northern Ireland reporting the first cases of contamination. All public schools were closed in Japan and Saudi Arabia banned foreign pilgrims from travelling to Mecca. South Korea and Iran also cause concern. The virus has contaminated over 80,000 people and has caused the death of almost 3,000 around the world, mostly in China. More than 50 countries have been affected. Stock exchange shares have seen new plunges, facing the most difficult week since the financial crisis of 2008.



    Refugees — Turkey started on Friday to allow the refugees from its territory (around 3.7 million people, mostly from Syria) to head for Europe. The Turkish authorities say they took the measure because they did not receive enough international support and had no other choice. News agencies comment that Turkey’s move is actually an attempt to force the Europeans to put more pressure on Syria and its ally Russia, in the clashes from the Syrian province of Idlib, where tens of Turkish soldiers were killed. The Bulgarian PM will meet Monday with the Turkish president after groups of migrants already reached the Bulgarian border. ‘We are concerned that the Turkish border guards have withdrawn from the frontier” said the Bulgarian PM. Greece and Bulgaria have consolidated measures at their land and sea borders. A Turkish official warned that the world should know that the Syrian refugees are a problem of the entire world, especially of the countries in the region and Europe, not only of Turkey. The EU retorted by asking Ankara to observe the 2016 agreement under which it committed to stop the migrants’ wave in exchange for financial aid. (translation by L. Simion)

  • January 25, 2020 UPDATE

    January 25, 2020 UPDATE

    PARLIAMENT The 2 chambers of Romanias Parliament will convene on January 28 for a special session focusing on a bill scrapping the so-called special pensions paid to magistrates, which are not based on the principle of previous contributions. The Judicial Inspection Division says the bill tramples on the principles of judge independence and immovability, and comes against provisions in the Constitution and regulations by the European Court for Human Rights. On January 29, Parliament also convenes in a joint session to discuss the bill reintroducing the 2-round voting system in local elections, for which the Government takes responsibility before Parliament. The Orban Cabinet says the bill is intended to strengthen democratic standards at local community level. President Klaus Iohannis had previously requested a special Parliamentary session to this end. The Social Democrats, in opposition, reiterated that jointly with the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, they will table a no-confidence motion against the Liberal Government.




    HOLOCAUST The Romanian PM Ludovic Orban takes part on Monday in an official ceremony celebrating 75 years since the liberation of the Nazi death camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau, organised by the Polish authorities on the International Holocaust Remembrance Day. According to a news release issued on Saturday by the Romanian Government, officials from several countries, Holocaust survivors and members of Jewish associations will be attending the ceremony, held under the patronage of the president of Poland Andrzej Duda. The Government of Romania, the release also reads, reconfirms its pledge to carry on Holocaust education and research efforts, to commemorate the Holocaust victims and to take responsibility for the countrys history.




    CORONAVIRUS China has announced extending the lockdown and introducing several other measures, such as suspending tour services abroad, in order to contain the newly discovered coronavirus, initially identified in Wuhan. In Hubei, a province in central China, bus, underground and ferry services have been suspended, and outbound planes and trains cancelled. The Chinese army has sent medical teams to the outbreak region, as the total number of cases is now over 1,300. Hong Kong has declared the highest state of emergency. The virus has reached Europe as well, with 3 cases confirmed in France. The European Commissioner for Health Stella Kyriakides will have a meeting on Monday with relevant officials from member countries, to discuss ways to respond to the spread of the new virus.




    EARTHQUAKE At least 22 people died, more than 1,200 were injured n a major earthquake that hit eastern Turkey on Friday night, Turkish authorities have announced. 2,000 rescuers are searching for survivors in the collapsed buildings. The 6.8 magnitude quake was followed by scores of aftershocks. The earthquake, centred 550 km east of the capital city Ankara, in Elazig province, was also felt in Iran, Syria and Lebanon. Turkey is frequently affected by major tremors. In 1999, 17,000 people died and half a million lost their homes in a 7.6 earthquake in the north-west of the country, while another one hit the eastern province of Van in 2011, killing more than 500.




    FILM “Home, Romanian director Radu Ciorniciucs first film, premieres on Sunday in the international documentary competition of the most important American independent film festival, Sundance. “Home is the first Romanian documentary selected into this festivals competition, next to 11 other documentaries from around the world, in the World Cinema Documentary category. The film documents the life of a family who lived for 20 years in the Văcărești Delta, up until the place was declared a protected area and was renamed Văcărești Nature Park, the first urban nature park in Romania. Another Romanian film, Colectiv, by Alexander Nanau, will be screened in the festivals Spotlight section. This is a documentary on the events taking place in the first year after the fire in the Colectiv nightclub in Bucharest, in which 64 young people died.




    IMPEACHMENT Donald Trumps lawyers Saturday began to present their opening arguments in Senate, in the impeachment trial. They argued that removing the US president from office would set a very dangerous precedent in an election year. You will find that the President has done absolutely nothing illegal, the White House counsel Pat Cipollone, Trumps lead impeachment lawyer, has said. The Democrats accuse Trump of abusing his powers and obstructing Congress. The President will likely be cleared in the Senate, where the Republicans have a majority, but the impact of the trial on the public opinion remains to be seen.




    TENNIS The Romanian player Simona Halep, number 3 in the world, has moved up into the 4th round of the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the year, after defeating the Kazakh Iulia Putintseva (38 WTA) 6-1, 6-4, on Saturday in Melbourne. On Sunday Halep is to take on Belgian Elise Mertens (17 WTA), who beat CiCi (Catherine) Bellis (600 WTA) 6-1, 6-7, 6-0 in the 3rd round. Last year in Melbourne Halep lost in the 4th round, and in 2018 she reached the Australian Open final. Also on Saturday Monica Niculescu (Romania) / Misaki Doi (Japan) moved up into the next round of the doubles tournament, having defeated the Japanese Nao Hibino/Makoto Ninomiya 6-2, 7-5. Niculescu and Doi are to play next against Hao-ching Chan and Latisha Chan (Taiwan).


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • January 25, 2020

    January 25, 2020

    PARLIAMENT The 2 chambers of Romanias Parliament will convene on January 28 for a special session focusing on a bill scrapping the so-called special pensions paid to magistrates, which are not based on the principle of previous contributions. The Judicial Inspection Division says the bill tramples on the principles of judge independence and immovability, and comes against provisions in the Constitution and regulations by the European Court for Human Rights. On January 29, Parliament also convenes in a joint session to discuss the bill reintroducing the 2-round voting system in local elections, for which the Government takes responsibility before Parliament. The Orban Cabinet says the bill is intended to strengthen democratic standards at local community level. President Klaus Iohannis had previously requested a special Parliamentary session to this end. The Social Democrats, in opposition, reiterated that jointly with the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, they will table a no-confidence motion against the Liberal Government.




    HOLOCAUST The Romanian PM Ludovic Orban takes part on Monday in an official ceremony celebrating 75 years since the liberation of the Nazi death camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau, organised by the Polish authorities on the International Holocaust Remembrance Day. According to a news release issued on Saturday by the Romanian Government, officials from several countries, Holocaust survivors and members of Jewish associations will be attending the ceremony, held under the patronage of the president of Poland Andrzej Duda. The Government of Romania, the release also reads, reconfirms its pledge to carry on Holocaust education and research efforts, to commemorate the Holocaust victims and to take responsibility for the countrys history.




    IMMIGRANTS Romanian border police caught 9 citizens of Egypt, Iraq and Somalia attempting to cross the border into Hungary illegally, with the help of 2 Romanian citizens, the Romanian Border Police announced on Saturday. The investigations revealed that the 7 men and 2 women, aged between 21 and 52, had applied for asylum in Romania. They are currently probed into for attempted illegal border crossing, while the Romanian citizens are facing human trafficking charges.




    CORONAVIRUS China has today announced extending the lockdown introduced in order to contain the newly discovered coronavirus, initially identified in Wuhan. Five cities in Hubei, a province in central China, have been added to the 13 where all bus, underground and ferry services have been suspended, and all outbound planes and trains cancelled. The Chinese army has sent medical teams to the outbreak region, after the death toll has reached 41, out of a total of over 1,300 cases. The virus has reached Europe as well, with 2 cases confirmed in France. The World Health Organisation has decided not to class the virus as an international emergency.




    EARTHQUAKE At least 21 people died, more than 1,000 were injured and several buildings collapsed in a major earthquake that hit eastern Turkey on Friday night, Turkish authorities have announced. The 6.8 magnitude quake was followed by scores of aftershocks. The earthquake, centred 550 km east of the capital city Ankara, in Elazig province, was also felt in Iran, Syria and Lebanon. Turkey is frequently affected by major tremors. In 1999, 17,000 people died and half a million lost their homes in a 7.6 earthquake in the north-west of the country, while another one hit the eastern province of Van in 2011, killing more than 500.




    FILM “Home, Romanian director Radu Ciorniciucs first film, premieres on Sunday in the international documentary competition of the most important American independent film festival, Sundance. “Home is the first Romanian documentary selected into this festivals competition, next to 11 other documentaries from around the world, in the World Cinema Documentary category. The film documents the life of a family who lived for 20 years in the Văcărești Delta, up until the place was declared a protected area and was renamed Văcărești Nature Park, the first urban nature park in Romania. Another Romanian film, Colectiv, by Alexander Nanau, will be screened in the festivals Spotlight section. This is a documentary on the events taking place in the first year after the fire in the Colectiv nightclub in Bucharest, in which 64 young people died.




    TENNIS The Romanian player Simona Halep, number 3 in the world, has moved up into the 4th round of the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the year, after defeating the Kazakh Iulia Putintseva (38 WTA) 6-1, 6-4, on Saturday in Melbourne. On Sunday Halep is to take on Belgian Elise Mertens (17 WTA), who beat CiCi (Catherine) Bellis (600 WTA) 6-1, 6-7, 6-0 in the 3rd round. Last year in Melbourne Halep lost in the 4th round, and in 2018 she reached the Australian Open final. Also on Saturday Monica Niculescu (Romania) / Misaki Doi (Japan) moved up into the next round of the doubles tournament, having defeated the Japanese Nao Hibino/Makoto Ninomiya 6-2, 7-5. Niculescu and Doi are to play next against Hao-ching Chan and Latisha Chan (Taiwan).


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • NATO at 70

    NATO at 70

    Meeting in early December in London, the leaders of NATO member countries adopted a joint declaration emphasizing the unity of allied countries, admitting for the first time the challenges posed by the rise of China globally. Also, the document shows that Russias aggressive action is a threat to NATO security, and provides assurances that the alliance is purely defensive in nature, and that its aim is disarmament. However, the document also specifies that the alliance will continue to bolster its ability for deterrence, defending itself with an adequate mix of nuclear, conventional, and anti-missile defense, continuously adapted. Professor Iulian Chifu,head of the Center for Conflict Prevention and Early Warning, believes the summit was a success:

    “We had a North Atlantic Council, a final declaration, and documents that are more than encouraging, which reinforce these themes, including that in Article 5, which is profoundly valid, and is embraced by every member of the alliance. It is true that NATO in itself does not have any problems, but that various leaders of it have distinct agendas. They are not necessarily at loggerheads, NATO moves forward, and the principle all for one and one for all is profoundly valid, and embraced by everyone.”

    Divergences within the alliance are inherent, but there are common points when it comes to ensuring security, fighting terrorism, or answering Russian provocations, said Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in London. The declaration specified the wish to start a process of reflection regarding the future of NATO, a decision saluted by French President Emmanuel Macron. He supports the idea that the alliance is brain dead, expressing his concern at Turkeys intervention in Syria and the fact that Ankara purchased a Russian anti-missile defense system. For the first time, NATO leaders discussed Chinas rise internationally. Here is Iulian Fota, a security analyst, detailing the point:

    “NATO so far has not discussed China, so this is the first time that NATO takes a position in this regard, which is very interesting. This shows that the discussion is already advancing in this direction, and let us not forget that many experts already say that the future of NATO will be strongly influenced by the way it relates to China. If we were to talk of a rival in ideological terms, maybe even of a security threat towards the west, a very complex medium and long term one, everyone knows that this is China, and not Russia, which is a much weaker country. In spite of all the noise it makes, it does not have the necessary resources to carry through a confrontation with NATO on long term.”

    The NATO summit brought a few advantages to Romania when it comes to its interests in the Black Sea. Here is Iulian Chifu once again:

    “I believe that we can look at the nine points in the final declaration and well have the essence of a summit 70 years from the creation of the alliance, a special summit. For Romania in particular it has been beneficial in terms of its Black Sea interests, which is a zero level priority for the alliance, since it is a new operational space, in addition to the three conventional ones, plus cyberspace and outer space.”

    In this context, Iulian Chifu adds, beyond confirmations and repositioning, as well as defense plans for the northern and southern parts of the eastern flank, there was a reiteration of all categories of threats. In addition, NATO is the international organization that has adapted the fastest to global threats, and this process of adaptation has to be continuing. This was emphasized by NATO Deputy Secretary Mircea Geoana in an interview for Radio Romania:

    “We are an alliance that has adapted faster than any other to global changes. The point where a discussion is needed among alliance leaders is the need to have a strengthening of NATO at the political level. If we truly want to be able to adapt to global changes, as institutions of the democratic West, we can only do it by preserving a strong transatlantic relationship, strengthening NATOs European pillar, with a more robust European Union.”

    Today the alliance is in impeccable health, even though the world is changing all around, Mircea Geoana believes, and we have to change, because the process of adaptation never stops.

  • November 7, 2019 UPDATE

    November 7, 2019 UPDATE

    Miners — The miners in Uricani and Paroşeni (center west) on Thursday suspended their protest started 11 days ago when they barricaded themselves in the underground. They have stopped the protest and are now waiting for the new government to meet its promises to solve the miners’ problems. On Wednesday the government officials had a first reading of an emergency decree related to the social protection of sacked miners. It refers to a monthly income granted for 2 years and the registration of this period of time as seniority. Trade unionists say this is the longest miners’ protest in the past 15 years. A program to close and clean up the two mines started at the end of 2017. Also, tens of miners from the Ocna Dej salt mine in the north-west have barricaded themselves underground to protest against the fact that they have not received their holiday vouchers. For this reason, the salt production was suspended for a week at several salt mines in Romania.



    Visit — On a visit to Hungary, the Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened again, on Thursday, that he might let the almost 3.5 million refugees from Turkey leave if the EU did not provide enough support. The Turkish president said the EU promised to grant his country 6 billion Euros, but that they received only a part of the money. In 2106 Brussels and Ankara concluded an agreement under which Turkey committed to stopping the wave of migrants in exchange for substantial financial aid. According to the EC over 2.6 billion Euros have been granted so far. Erdogan also called on the EU to support his initiative to create in northern Syria a ‘security zone’ where part of the Syrian refugees who are currently in Turkey should be repatriated. (update by L. Simion)

  • October 16, 2019 UPDATE

    October 16, 2019 UPDATE

    Turkey — The Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan will meet Thursday with the American vice- president Mike Pence who is heading the US official delegation on a visit to Ankara, in an attempt to obtain a ceasefire in northern Syria, the Turkish presidential administration announced on Wednesday, according to France Press. Erdogan had previously announced that the American officials would only have talks with their Turkish counterparts. The Kremlin announced that the Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke on the phone with his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan about the Syrian conflict and invited him to visit Russia in the next few days. The two leaders underlined the need for preventing a conflict between the Turkish and Syrian units in northern Syria where Ankara started an offensive. The US announced the pullout of the 1,000 US soldiers still deployed in that area, but pointed out that it would keep the 150- strong Al-Tanf garrison at the border with Jordan. One week ago Ankara launched an offensive targeting the Kurdish militias People’s Protection Units YPG, an ally of the West in the anti-Jihadist fight.



    Strasbourg — The European Parliament on Wednesday postponed the vote for validating the future EC headed by Ursula von der Leyen. The vote had been scheduled initially for October 23 during next week’s plenary session of the EP in Strasbourg. The vote was postponed as the candidates for European Commissioner of Romania, Hungary and France were rejected during the validation process within the EP on grounds of conflict of interest or ethical problems. Ursula von der Leyen and her team were to start their mandate on November 1 but the rejection of the 3 candidates put it on hold.



    Exercise — The ‘Rear Admiral Horia Macellariu corvette is participating from October 15 to 17 in a drill in the Serpents’ Island area and in the Black Sea international waters together with the Pryluky missile carrier from Ukraine and the American destroyer USS ‘Porter’, the Romanian Navy Staff officials announced, adding that the 3- party exercise contributes to the consolidation of the partnership between Ukraine and the NATO member states in the naval forces domain. (update by L. Simion)

  • October 9, 2019 UPDATE

    October 9, 2019 UPDATE

    Attack — The EU, NATO, the UN have reacted to the military offensive Turkey launched on Wednesday in northeastern Syria, a few days after the withdrawal of the American troops from the area. The president of the European Commission on Wednesday called for the cessation of the military operation and warned that, if Ankara intended to create a safe area, it would not receive any European funding. In turn, the NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Turkey’s action in Syria should be proportionate and measured, adding that “It is important to avoid actions that may further destabilize the region, escalate tensions and cause more human suffering.” The president of the UN Security Council the South-African ambassador Jerry Matthews Matjila called on Turkey to protect civilians and exercise maximum restraint. An emergency meeting of the UN Security Council was scheduled for Thursday meant to discuss the Turkish offensive. Turkish planes on Wednesday bombed the region of Ras al – Ain, on Syria’s northern border with Turkey. The Turkish president called the operation ‘Spring of Peace’ saying that the targets are the Islamic state and the YPG Kurdish militias which Ankara considers the allies of PKK, a party forbidden in Turkey. The Turkish president added the ‘safe zone’ cleared of Kurdish militias will also house Syrian refugees. An alliance of the Kurdish and Arab fighters announced the air strikes already killed and wounded people.



    Revolution file — The first court date in the December 1989 revolution file was set by the Supreme Court for November 29. The pre-trial hearing will take place without the access of the public. In this file, the former leftist president Ion Iliescu was prosecuted for crimes against humanity. The former deputy prime minister Gelu Voican Voiculescu and general Iosif Rus, the former head of the Military Aviation were prosecuted for the same crimes in the same file. Prosecutors claim that Ion Iliescu was the head of a dissident group made up of military officials and civilians, whose aim was to remove from power the former dictator Nicolae Ceausescu but to maintain Romania in the sphere of influence of the former USSR.



    Nobel Prize — Researcher John B. Goodenough of the USA, M. Stanley Whittingham of Great Britain and Akira Yoshino of Japan on Wednesday received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for 2019, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced. The three were made laureates for the development of lithium-ion batteries. Through their research the Nobel prize in chemistry winners have set the basis for a wireless society and without fossil fuels. The Nobel Prize in Literature will be awarded on October 10 and that for Peace on October 11. The Riksbank Sveriges Prize in Economic Sciences in memory of Alfred Nobel will be announced on October 14.



    Holocaust — Each year on October 9 Romania pays homage to the victims of the Holocaust. October 9 was chosen for this commemoration as on this day in 1941 the deportation of Jews from Romania to Transdniester. The Romanian Foreign Ministry paid homage to the victims of the Holocaust expressing solidarity with the survivors of the tragic events of WWII. The Foreign Ministry officials recall that Romania made significant efforts of late to assume its past, condemn the denial of the Holocaust and of anti-Semitism. On Tuesday, President Klaus Iohannis promulgated the law under which the National Museum of History of the Jews and the Holocaust in Romania will be set up. The museum will be based in Bucharest and will host a permanent exhibition about the history of the Jewish communities on Romania’s territory from the 17th century until the present time. (update by L. Simion)

  • October 17, 2018 UPDATE

    October 17, 2018 UPDATE

    JUSTICE LAWS — The European Commission is watching with concern the changes brought to the justice laws made this week by the Romanian Government, through a government ordinance, the spokesperson for the EC, Christian Wigand, said on Wednesday. The Commission will continue the dialogue with the Romanian authorities and will draw the adequate conclusions, if the changes brought to the justice laws, the Criminal Codes and the legislation on the “conflict of interest” and “corruption” does not take these concerns into consideration, Wigand went on to say. In Bucharest, the Superior Council of Magistracy has decided that the emergency ordinance should not be applied retroactively, consequently, the prosecutors of the General Prosecutors’ Office, the National Anti-Corruption Directorate and the Directorate For Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism remain on their positions. In another move, also on Wednesday, the main opposition party, the National Liberal Party, announced it will table a simple motion against the justice minister Tudorel Toader, and the Save Romanian Union, also in opposition, calls on the Ombudsman to challenge the controversial ordinance at the Constitutional Court. The ordinance stipulates, among other things, that the prosecutors at the main prosecutor’s offices should have at least 10 year experience in magistracy, before getting nominated for a position in the respective prosecutor’s offices. Romania’s Prosecutor General, Augustin Lazăr, has said the new regulations will create numerous functional problems in the system, whereas the justice minister ,Tudorel Toader, the initiator of the ordinance, said he did nothing but correlated the opinions and stands expressed by the European Commission, the Venice Commission and the Superior Council of Magistracy.



    RESHUFFLE – The President of the Social Democratic Party, the senior party in the ruling coalition, Liviu Dragnea, has said there are zero chances for the current membership of the government to remain unchanged. Dragnea, who is also the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, has said the details of the government reshuffle will be established during the future session of the National Executive Committee of the Social Democratic Party. The date of the session will be set together with PM Viorica Dăncilă, Dragnea has announced. Last month, the education minister Valentin Popa stepped down, following a meeting with Dragnea. The portfolio is temporarily held by a caretaker, the current minister for European Funds, Rovana Plumb. That was the second resignation tendered by a member of the Dancila cabinet, after the research minister Nicolae Burnete stepped down in August.



    COOPERATION — Wednesday was the last day of the state visit paid by Romania’s President, Klaus Iohannis, to Italy. The president had a meeting with the mayor of Naples, Luigi de Magistris, focusing on the Romanian community in Italy, made up of approximately 1.2 million people. Klaus Iohannis hailed the fact that the Romanian community is growing more active, more involved and more capable of doing business, contributing to arts and sciences and to the development of the society that has welcomed them. Previously, he had formal meetings with his Italian counterpart Sergio Mattarella, the president of the Council of Ministers Giuseppe Conte, the Senate Speaker Maria Elisabetta Alberti Casellati and the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Roberto Fico. Also, Klaus Iohannis had a meeting with the mayor of Rome, Virginia Raggi, and talked with representatives of the Romanian community in Italy. The Romanian Presidential Administration has recalled that the visit paid by Iohannis to Italy took place against the background of this year’s celebration of 100 years since the Great Union and of 10 years since the ties between Romania and Italy were lifted to the level of consolidated strategic partnership. This is the first state visit paid by a Romanian head of state to Italy in the past 45 years.



    VISIT – The Romanian Prime Minister Viorica Dancila on Wednesday continued her visit to Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates. Dancila visited the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, the largest mosque in the United Arab Emirates. During the talks she had with the Emirati officials, Dancila mentioned the ethnic and religious diversity in the UAE and hailed the efforts made by the Emirati authorities to integrate religious minorities in that country. Dancila has also said that in Romania, mainly in the south-eastern region of Dobrogea, in the south-east, but not only there, religious communities, including the Muslim one, have been coexisting peacefully and in harmony for hundreds of years. On Tuesday in Dubai, during the meeting she had with Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, Dancila presented the latest investment opportunities in Romania and encouraged the companies in the Arab Emirates to participate in tenders organized either for projects funded from the existing operational programmes, or for public-private partnership projects. She stated that Romania will keep paying special attention to the eastern neighbourhood of the EU, especially given that our country will be holding the presidency of the EU Council for six months. Previously, the Romanian Prime Minister had paid a visit to Turkey.



    MOTION – The Romanian Chamber of Deputies on Wednesday rejected the simple motion filed by the opposition National Liberal Party against the Minister of Culture, George Ivascu, after debates held on Monday. The Liberals said culture in Romania is in a grave situation, needing urgent solutions for the many problems it is faced with. In turn, minister George Ivascu stated that the motion included distorted information and superficial accusations, which prove nothing but ill faith.



    VISIT – The President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, on Wednesday started a two day visit to the Republic of Moldova, the former Soviet country with a predominantly Romanian-speaking population, aimed at boosting bilateral relations. The agenda of the visit includes talks with the president of the country Igor Dodon and the pro-European prime-minister Pavel Filip, and the signing of a joint strategic cooperation declaration. Radio Chisinau reports that Erdogan’s visit is taking place against the background of a recent scandal concerning the detention and expulsion from Moldova of seven teachers from the Moldovan-Turkish High-School, accused of being members of the network headed by the Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen. Gulen is accused by the power in Ankara of having organized the attempted coup in Turkey, two years ago.



    OLYMPIAD – Romanian pupils have won five medals — two gold, on silver and two bronze — at the International Astronomy Olympiad, held over October 6-14 in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The competition brought together 80 contenders from 18 countries. Romanian pupils have had great results this year in other competitions as well: 9 prizes at the International French Language Olympiad in Ohrid, Macedonia, 5 medals from the International Physics Olympiad in Lisbon, 4 medals from the Central European Olympiad in Informatics and 4 medals from the International Earth Science Olympiad in Warsaw. (Translated by M. Ignatescu and D. Vijeu)

  • September 28, 2018

    September 28, 2018

    CCR — Same sex couple relationships are included in the ‘private life’ and ‘family life’ categories, argue the judges of Romania’s Constitutional Court in the reasoning behind their ruling, which admits the notification of a Romanian-American couple related to an article of the Civil Code regarding the non-recognition of same-sex marriages. According to the Constitutional Court, people of the same sex who form stable couples have the right to express their personality as part of their relationship and to benefit from a legal and juridical recognition of corresponding rights and obligations. The Constitutional Court also adds that Romania does not offer any form of official and juridical recognition of same sex couple relationships, a situation also found in only 5 other EU member states, namely Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Slovakia. The Constitutional Court made these clarifications in full campaign for the referendum of October 6 and 7 when Romanians are called to vote if they agree with redefining the concept of family in the Constitution as being based on the marriage between a man and a woman and not between spouses as it is stipulated at present. The revision bill is based on a citizens’ initiative and it was denounced as discriminatory by the associations defending human rights and sexual minority rights.



    Inflation — The annual inflation rate in the Euro zone increased in September 2018 from 2% to 2.1%, shows a preliminary survey published on Friday by Eurostat. In September, the most significant price hikes in the Euro zone were reported in the energy field, where an annual increase of 9.5% was reported, being followed by price rises for foodstuffs, alcohol and cigarettes by 2.7% and for services by 1,3% annually. In August, Eurostat informed that Romania reported the highest annual inflation rate among EU states, for the 7th consecutive month, with an increase in consumption prices of 4.7%, after reporting an annual inflation rate of 4.3% in July. The National Bank of Romania revised downwards the inflation forecast for the end of 2018 from 3.6% to 3.5%.



    Berlin — On an official visit to Germany, the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is going to meet with Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. The latter said that the visit did not represent a normalization of relations between the two countries but that it could be a first step towards this goal. Relations between Germany and Turkey have deteriorated against the backdrop of criticism over Erdogan’s increasingly authoritarian regime, as Erdogan has recently acquired further powers following the modification of the Constitution. Erdogan was also criticized for the repression following the failed coup of 2016 which also affected German citizens whom Berlin considered political detainees. The Turkish president said he would discuss, among other things, the expansion of economic relations with Germany, which comes, according to analysts, against the backdrop of the financial crisis Turkey is currently facing.



    New York — The Romanian President Klaus Iohannis on Thursday had bilateral meetings in New York on the sidelines of the UN summit. During the talks with Moldova’s PM Pavel Filip, the president reconfirmed Romania’s commitment to supporting Moldova’s European aspirations. In turn, Pavel Filip thanked the Romanian President for the support granted by Bucharest and gave assurances that the Moldovan authorities were determined to carry on the process of rapprochement to the EU. President Klaus Iohannis also had talks with the Georgian PM about the consolidation and diversification of trade relations. Klaus Iohannis pleaded at the UN summit for Romania to be elected as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for the period 2020-2021. In his speech before the UN General Assembly Klaus Iohannis said Romania would be a responsible partner in promoting the common UN agenda. He added that Romania, as future president of the EU Council, would strengthen the UN’s partnership with the EU.



    Washington — The Romanian Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu hosted in New York, on the sidelines of the 73rd summit of the UN General Assembly the meeting entitled “Climate change and security’ with his counterparts from the African French-speaking countries. They tackled aspects related to the way in which climate change affects the living conditions of the populations in the Saharan and sub-Saharan area and poses risks in terms of internal and regional security. (news translated by Lacramioara Simion)

  • December 26, 2017 UPDATE

    December 26, 2017 UPDATE

    CHRISTMAS – In Romania, Orthodox and Greek-Catholic Christians celebrated, on the second day of Christmas, the Synaxis of the Theotokos, which is a celebration of Mary, the Mother of God. This is one of the oldest feast days devoted to Virgin Mary, dating back to the 5th Century. The Synaxis of the Theotokos is the assembly of believers to honour the one through whom the incarnation of God was possible. Also on Tuesday, Roman Catholic Christians celebrate St Stephen, the first martyr.




    HOLIDAYS – Thousands of Romanians are spending their winter holidays in the mountain resorts in Valea Prahovei region in the south, in Maramures in the north-west of the country and in Bucovina, in the north-east. Sinaia and Buşteni, on Prahova Valley, are among the most popular resorts in the country at this time of the year. In Bâlea Lac, in Făgăraş Mountains, at over 2,000 m altitude, the new Ice Hotel, the only one of its kind in Romania, was opened on Sunday. Most of the tourists having booked a room here come from abroad.




    ROYAL HOUSE – The Royal House of Romania attended on Tuesday the Christmas service held at the Orthodox church in Săvârşin, the west of Romania. The royals are on 40-day mourning after the death of Romanias last king, Michael I. He passed away on December 5, aged 96, and was buried on December 16, in Curtea de Arges, southern Romania, where the other 3 monarchs of Romania are also interred. Tens of thousands of people took part in the national funerals of the one they regard as a model of dignity, honour, devotion and love for the country.




    CONSULTATIONS – The PM of Romania, Mihai Tudose, has agreed to hold talks on Wednesday with representatives of over 40 NGOs involved in the street protests against the controversial changes in the justice laws. The organisations had sent the PM an open letter expressing their willingness to contribute to dialogue, consultation and solutions, in full compliance with the rule of law, democratic principles and fundamental human rights. They say there have been major deficiencies in the dialogue and consultations between lawmakers and society with respect to the justice laws and the changes of the criminal codes. On Friday, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Thorbjorn Jagland, sent a letter to President Klaus Iohannis, urging him to request an official opinion from the Venice Commission with respect to the legislative reform endorsed by Parliament. Previously, the embassies of Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Netherlands and Sweden to Bucharest issued a joint letter calling on all stakeholders in the judiciary reform process to avoid measures that would weaken the independence of the judiciary and the fight against corruption. In response, the Foreign Ministry said strengthening the rule of law and fighting corruption are among the priorities of the Government of Romania. In turn, the leaders of the ruling coalition made up of the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in Romania, Liviu Dragnea and Calin Popescu Tariceanu, respectively, promised that the Justice Minister Tudorel Toader, and Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu would inform embassies properly with respect to the legislative changes in this field.




    EU – The German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said that if the EU managed to get a smart deal with Britain that governs relations with Europe after Brexit, it could be a model for other countries. The German diplomat added that Tukey and Ukraine are not likely to get full EU membership very soon, which is why the EU should consider alternative forms of closer cooperation. Gabriel also suggested that such an approach could take the form of a closer customs union with Turkey. Although the current situation proves that that country is still rather far from joining the EU, recent moves by Ankara indicate willingness to improve relations with Brussels, the German official also said. Shortly before Christmas, Turkey decided to free a German pilgrim after nearly 9 months of detention, and a German journalist who had spent 7 months in custody over alleged ties with a terrorist organisation.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • December 26, 2017

    December 26, 2017

    CHRISTMAS — In Romania, Orthodox and Greek-Catholic Christians celebrate today, on the second day of Christmas, the Synaxis of the Theotokos, which is a celebration of Mary, the Mother of God. This is one of the oldest feast days devoted to Virgin Mary, dating back to the 5th Century. The Synaxis of the Theotokos is the assembly of believers to honour the one through whom the incarnation of God was possible. Also today, Roman Catholic Christians celebrate St Stephen, the first martyr.





    HOLIDAYS — Thousands of Romanians are spending their winter holidays in the mountain resorts in Valea Prahovei region in the south, in Maramures in the north-west of the country and in Bucovina, in the north-east. Sinaia and Buşteni, on Prahova Valley, are among the most popular resorts in the country at this time of the year. In Bâlea Lac, in Făgăraş Mountains, at over 2,000 m altitude, the new Ice Hotel, the only one of its kind in Romania, was opened on Sunday. Most of the tourists having booked a room here come from abroad.




    ROYAL HOUSE — The Royal House of Romania attended on Tuesday the Christmas service held at the Orthodox church in Săvârşin, the west of Romania. The royals are on 40-day mourning after the death of Romania’s last king, Michael I. He passed away on December 5, aged 96, and was buried on December 16, in Curtea de Arges, southern Romania, where the other 3 monarchs of Romania are also interred. Tens of thousands of people took part in the national funerals of the one they regard as a model of dignity, honour, devotion and love for the country.




    CONSULTATIONS — The PM of Romania, Mihai Tudose, has agreed to hold talks tomorrow with representatives of over 40 NGOs involved in the street protests against the controversial changes in the justice laws. The organisations had sent the PM an open letter expressing their willingness to contribute to dialogue, consultation and solutions, in full compliance with the rule of law, democratic principles and fundamental human rights. They say there have been major deficiencies in the dialogue and consultations between lawmakers and society with respect to the justice laws and the changes of the criminal codes. On Friday, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Thorbjorn Jagland, sent a letter to President Klaus Iohannis, urging him to request an official opinion from the Venice Commission with respect to the legislative reform endorsed by Parliament. Previously, the embassies of Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Netherlands and Sweden to Bucharest issued a joint letter calling on all stakeholders in the judiciary reform process to avoid measures that would weaken the independence of the judiciary and the fight against corruption. In response, the Foreign Ministry said strengthening the rule of law and fighting corruption are among the priorities of the Government of Romania. In turn, the leaders of ruling coalition made up of the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in Romania, Liviu Dragnea and Calin Popescu Tariceanu, respectively, promised that the Justice Minister Tudorel Toader, and Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu would inform embassies properly with respect to the legislative changes in this field.




    EU — The German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said that if the EU managed to get a smart deal with Britain that governs relations with Europe after Brexit, it could be a model for other countries. The German diplomat added that Turkey and Ukraine are not likely to get full EU membership very soon, which is why the EU should consider alternative forms of closer cooperation. Gabriel also suggested that such an approach could take the form of a closer customs union with Turkey. Although the current situation proves that that country is still rather far from joining the EU, recent moves by Ankara indicate willingness to improve relations with Brussels, the German official also said. Shortly before Christmas, Turkey decided to free a German pilgrim after nearly 9 months of detention, and a German journalist who had spent 7 months in custody over alleged ties with a terrorist organisation.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • September 4, 2017 UPDATE

    September 4, 2017 UPDATE

    PM’S HOUR – The head of the left-of-centre government of Romania, Mihai Tudose, held the Prime Ministers Hour in the Chamber of Deputies for the first time since taking office. The 5.6% economic growth rate reported in Romania is the best indicator for the state of the economy, Tudose said on this occasion. He also announced that the 2018 state budget bill would be sent to Parliament in November. The National Liberal Party, which had requested the PM to answer questions in Parliament, argues, among other things, that Romania has the deepest budget deficit in recent years, that revenues to the state budget are some 1.1 billion euro below forecasts and that the trade deficit widened by 30%.



    PARTNERSHIP – The Senate Speaker Călin Popescu-Tăriceanu announced on Monday that at his initiative the upper chamber of the Romanian Parliament would adopt a political declaration on September 12, to mark 20 years since Romania and the USA signed their bilateral strategic partnership. He added that the draft had been sent to the floor groups. Just days ago, the Ambassador of Romania to the USA, George Maior, said relations between Washington and Bucharest are at the highest level of implementation of the bilateral strategic partnership, in all its aspects, from defence and security to economy and culture. Nonetheless, Ambassador Maior said Romania seeks strengthened cooperation with Washington in the field of defence, and mentioned in this context that the Romanian Defence Minister, Adrian Ţuţuianu, would have a meeting with his American counterpart James Mattis on September 19.



    ENESCU FESTIVAL – The George Enescu International Festival, one of the most prestigious music events in Europe, continues in Bucharest. For 3 weeks, 80 concerts and other events will bring more than 3,000 of the best international artists to Bucharest and 7 other major Romanian cities. Radio Romania is the only media institution in the country to broadcast the concerts live, on its channels Radio Romania Music and Radio Romania Culture. First organised in 1958, 3 years after the famed Romanian composer had died, the George Enescu Festival was discontinued in 1971 by the communist regime, and was resumed in 1989. It has been held every 2 years ever since.




    EXERCISE – Between September 4 and 22, more than 100 Romanian troops are taking part in the 4th edition of Vigorous Warrior, a NATO medical exercise held this year in Lehnin, Germany, the Romanian Defence Ministry announced. Taking part in this exercise organised by the NATO Excellence Centre for Military Medicine are around 900 military from 27 NATO member and partner states.



    TURKEY – The actions of the Turkish authorities make it impossible for that country to join the European Union, the European Commission said on Monday, after the German Chancellor Angela Merkel called for the halt of accession talks. Also on Monday, Turkeys Minister for European Affairs, Omer Celik, said that any talk of breaking off negotiations would be an attack on the founding principles of the European Union. Turkeys accession negotiations started in 2005, but are currently stalled because of the political developments in this country and of the authoritarian conduct that president Recep Tayyip Erdogan is accused of, Reuters comments.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • Turkish Referendum: What‘s at Stake

    Turkish Referendum: What‘s at Stake

    The idea of a referendum on changes in the Constitution, in the sense of broadening the authority of the president to include executive powers as well, appeared in Turkey in the aftermath of the failed coup in the summer of 2016. The proposal followed the implementation of a purging policy targeting Erdogans opponents, from high-ranking military to magistrates or teaching staff. Despite warnings from Brussels, which cautioned that a constitutional referendum staged for the enhancement of president Erdogans powers would not help ease the already strained relations Turkey has with the EU, and might even put an end to Turkeys efforts to join the Community, the referendum was held on April 16. Erdogan and his supporters won by a narrow margin, with the results contested by the Opposition.



    Eighteen amendments to the Constitution were subject to the vote, mainly concerning the prerogatives of the executive and the legislative. Among other things, they include the abolition of the position of Prime Minister. The president is to appoint the government and will have a number of vice-presidents, while Parliament will no longer have the right to table censure motions. Moreover, the president will be entitled to keep his political affiliation and will appoint 4 out of the 13 magistrates of the countrys supreme court. All these make the referendum the most notable political change in Turkey since the proclamation of the Turkish Republic in 1923.



    The executive director of the Aspen Institute Romania Andrei Tarnea was a guest of Radio Romanias News and Current Affairs Channel. Andrei Tarnea spoke about the stakes of the Turkish referendum, starting off from a very specific demographic and cultural context, reflected in a society that has always been divided. Andrei Tarnea also mentioned that in Turkey, the constitution as it is today is the outcome of a military coup in the 1980s, which is why it has never been viewed by a part of the Turkish society as a legitimate document, working in the best interests of that country.



    Andrei Tarnea: “Those who have never seen this document as a democratic one for the Turkish society come not only from the Islamist, conservative, traditional community, but also from Turkeys far left, which accounts for a major share of the voters in the countrys large cities. The Turkish society has evolved, in terms of make-up, demographic structure and cultural structure. The voice of this Anatolian part, more rural, more conservative, definitely more Islamist, more focused on religious values, has been gaining growing influence in the Turkish society over these past 10 years with Erdogan as PM or president.



    This happened against the background of a notable economic performance, which overlapped the Erdogan Administration period, although it was not necessarily a result of it, but rather a consequence of closer ties between Turkey and the EU, of the Association Agreement and of growing foreign investments. How will the new changes be seen by the other part of society now, what will happen next with the two Turkeys? Pointing to the huge economic sway and the decision-making monopoly that the educated elite has in that country, Andrei Tarnea believes that some of the tensions that have been evident so far will likely go on:



    Andrei Tarnea: “There is this educated urban elite, which hasnt always been free from what we would normally call ‘corruption and which has seized complete economic power in Turkey. It includes large economic clans, vertically integrated, with connections in the military and civilian systems, in politics, in the judiciary. And it has seen some resistance in the Turkish society, both from the left wing and from the more traditional communities. And these days this elite finds its legitimacy severely challenged. Today we see the classical division in society overlapping a new division, between modern, progressive Turkey, and Islamist, conservative Turkey. This fracture covers different foreign policy options and different options as regards the role of politics and the role of institutions and the future of the countrys culture. To make things even more complicated, in a difficult regional context, with Europe in crisis, the huge Turkish diaspora also has a say in all that. And we have seen the same division in Europe as well: while the large Turkish community in the Scandinavian countries and in the south of Europe overwhelmingly voted NO in this referendum, the new Turkish diaspora, coming particularly from Anatolia to Germany, the Netherlands and part of Austria voted YES.



    Analysts see the referendum as a confidence vote for Recep Erdogan and the country that he wants to build. A country, they say, over which people have given him full control, in spite of the small difference between the number of opponents and the number of supporters of his absolutist ambitions. The main fear, from now on, is that the victory in this referendum may encourage Recep Erdogan to push for further constitutional changes and for the reintroduction of capital punishment.