Radio România Internațional

Tag: Ukirane

  • July 24, 2024 UPDATE

    July 24, 2024 UPDATE

    Diplomacy – Romania is a credible, involved and respected regional, European and international actor, a provider of security and stability, said the Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, in the opening of the Annual Meeting of Romanian Diplomacy, which takes place in Bucharest. He pleaded for the consolidation of the role and influence in the European Union and NATO and for the deepening of the strategic partnership with the US. About the partnership with the US, Iohannis said that it is an essential pillar of Romania’s foreign policy, that it has become more robust and acquired more substance. Regarding the relationship with the neighboring Republic of Moldova, Romania’s President showed that this represented a strategic priority, and bilateral cooperation reached “the highest level in history”. Also, Iohannis stated, Bucharest also promoted a constructive relationship with the Kyiv administration. Last but not least, the Romanian president stated that the accession to the Schengen Area also with the land borders, as well as the accession to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development remain priority objectives of the Romanian diplomacy.

     

     

    Odobescu – The Romanian Foreign Minister, Luminiţa Odobescu, reiterated, on Wednesday, that Romania remains a firm supporter of the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine at the European level and emphasized that the two countries must continue the reforms necessary for European integration. She condemned the war waged by Russia in Ukraine and stated that the Republic of Moldova remains the state most affected by this war after Ukraine. ‘I reiterate that Romania firmly and steadfastly supports the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova within their internationally recognized borders’, Odobescu also said.

     

    Venice Commission – Romania should complete the process initiated in view of taking into account the recommendations of the Venice Commission on the justice laws and of accelerating its efforts to ensure effective public consultations before the adoption of the legislation, the European Commission recommends in the annual report on the rule of law, published on Wednesday. Although some progress has been made in this area, the EC recommends Bucharest to continue its efforts to ensure adequate human resources for the justice system, taking into account European standards. Another recommendation is to take measures to ensure the effective investigation and prosecution of crimes in the judicial system, including acts of corruption. The EC recognizes, however, that Romania has made some progress in this regard. The Romanian Justice Minister, Alina Gorghiu, states that the report on the rule of law in Romania is the best so far. The main conclusion of the fifth edition of the Commission’s annual report on the rule of law in member countries is that they and the Union as a whole are much better prepared to detect, prevent and address emerging challenges, which contributes to the resilience of European democracies and supports mutual trust in the EU as well as the smooth functioning of the single market.

     

    Alert – The General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations issued, last night, a RO-ALERT message for the north of Tulcea county (south-east), informing the population about the possibility of objects falling from the sky on the territory near the border with Ukraine. The message was issued after the structures with the role of defense and border surveillance noticed several Russian drones, involved in attacks on the Ukrainian infrastructure, which were approaching the Romanian border. The Defense Ministry reported that, currently, its teams are continuing the search for possible remains of drones that have fallen on the national territory. The same source stated that two F-16 aircraft of the Romanian Air Force flew in the area to monitor the situation.

     

    Meeting – The Deputy Prime Minister of Luxembourg Xavier Bettel on Wednesday expressed his conviction, in a joint press statement held together with the Romanian Foreign Minister, Luminiţa Odobescu, on the sidelines of the Annual Meeting of Romanian Diplomacy, that Romania’s place is in Schengen and that “controls must stop” at the border. Xavier Bettel mentioned, on the other hand, that he visited the Cincu military base (center), after a similar visit in September, to show the “support and solidarity” of the government towards the young people of Luxembourg. Minister Luminiţa Odobescu said, in turn, that Romania wants more substantial cooperation with the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, including in the field of the defense industry. She thanked for the presence of troops from Luxembourg on Romanian territory as part of strengthening NATO’s deterrence and defense posture on the Eastern Flank and the Black Sea. (LS)

  • March 25, 2022

    March 25, 2022

    Meeting — Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis had a bilateral meeting with the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Friday on the sidelines of the European Council meeting. The two talked about further strengthening bilateral relations, with a focus on economic and energy cooperation, as well as on Romanias accession to the Schengen area. ‘We continue coordination in relation to the security situation and the ways to help the refugees from Ukraine, Klaus Iohannis wrote on Twitter. Romania’s President attended the European Council meeting on Thursday and Friday. On the first day of the meeting, he met with the Prime Minister of Bulgaria, Kiril Petkov. Talks with the Bulgarian official focused on coordinating the security situation in the region, helping Ukrainian refugees, deepening economic and energy cooperation and accelerating interconnectivity between the two countries. On Thursday, Klaus Iohannis also attended the Extraordinary NATO Summit.



    Aid – The Romanian government is to approve, in todays meeting, a non-reimbursable aid for the neighboring Republic of Moldova (ex-Soviet with a majority Romanian-speaking population) worth 100 million Euros. In this way Romania wants to support the authorities from the neighboring state in carrying out development projects and reforms in several fields. Another law in the focus of the government is meant to increase the energy performance of apartment buildings through modernization and rehabilitation works. Another two government decisions provide for the allocation to the state budget of a 50 % share of the profit of the National Company Romgaz and of the National Company Transelectrica, profits remaining after the payment of taxes. The government also wants to approve the budgets for this year for the Bucharest Underground company, CFR Călători and CFR Marfă — the railway passenger and freight transport companies and for the “Mihail Kogălniceanu” International Airport in Constanţa. Also in todays session, the National Health Programs will be approved, including those for HIV-AIDS, Tuberculosis and for Mental Health and Organ Transplants.



    Working group – The United States and the European Union announced on Friday the setting up of a working group that will aim to reduce Europes dependence on Russias fossil energy resources due to Moscows war against Ukraine, AFP reports. The US is expected to supply the European Union with an additional 15 billion cubic meters of liquefied natural gas (LNG) this year as part of an initiative announced by US President Joe Biden and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Both the NATO and G7 summits were held in the Belgian capital on Thursday, with the participation of US President Joe Biden. NATO has decided to provide additional assistance to Ukraine and continue to strengthen the eastern flank by sending four new multinational combat groups to Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary and Slovakia.



    Refugees — Nearly 10 thousand Ukrainian citizens entered Romania on Thursday, the Border Police General Inspectorate reported. At national level, a total of 58,700 people entered Romania through border crossing points. More than 5,300 Ukrainian citizens entered the border with Ukraine (increasing by 9.9%), and through the cross-border points with the Republic of Moldova – 2,900 (increasing by 7.9%). Since the start of this crisis until Thursday, at midnight, at national level, 537,548 Ukrainian citizens entered Romania.



    Ukraine — The Ukrainian armys counterattacks and the difficulties of the Russian forces in relation to their supply lines have allowed Ukraine to reoccupy cities and defensive positions up to 35 kilometers east of the capital Kyiv, the UK Ministry of Defense was quoted by EFE as saying on Friday. The Ukrainian forces are likely to continue trying to push the Russian army along the northwest axis between Kyiv and the Hostomel airfield, about 70 kilometers from the capital, according to British intelligence services which have data from the ground. In southern Ukraine, the Russian forces are still trying to bypass the city of Mikolaiv (Nikolaiev) in an effort to advance westward in the direction of Odessa, according to the British Ministry of Defense. However, their progress is slowed by logistical problems and Ukrainian resistance. The humanitarian situation in the besieged city of Mariupol continues to deteriorate, while Russia is blocking the delivery of humanitarian aid, the city mayor said. Most of the city is now in ruins. About 100,000 people remain stranded in Mariupol, and the large-scale evacuation efforts have failed.



    Warsaw – US President Joe Biden will travel to Poland, a NATO member country, where he will meet with Ukrainian refugees fleeing the war. He will visit Rzeszow, a town 80 kilometers from the Ukrainian border. The American leader will be received by Polish President Andrzej Duda at the airport of this city located two and a half hours from Lvov, the main city in western Ukraine. Joe Biden will be briefed on “the humanitarian response to alleviate the suffering of civilians in Ukraine and to respond to the growing influx of refugees fleeing the war that Putin has chosen,” the White House said. The US president will then meet with US troops stationed in the region and which “contribute, along with our Polish ally, to NATOs deterrence efforts on its eastern flank.” On Friday evening, he will travel to Warsaw, where he will have more consistent talks with his Polish counterpart on Saturday. This two-day visit to Poland comes after an extraordinary diplomatic marathon in Brussels, where Joe Biden attended NATO, G7 and EU summits, praising Western unity in response to Moscow, one month after the Russian invasion of Ukraine began. In Brussels, Joe Biden claimed that NATO “has never, ever been so united”. (LS)