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Tag: UN General Assembly

Romanian President Klaus Iohannis concluded his visit to the US.

Romanian President Klaus Iohannis concluded his official visit to the US, where he spoke to Vice-President Joe Biden about the strategic partnership between the two countries. The head of state attended alongside world leaders the anniversary summit at the UN.

Invited to also attend an energy security conference for states in the Adriatic, Baltic and Black Sea areas, the head of state reiterated the role that Romania plays to the benefit of its allies and in defense of democratic values and common national goals. In his last speech in New York, Iohannis said that the UN should be less tolerant of frozen conflicts, including the one in Transdnestr, in the Republic of Moldova, and the ongoing one in Ukraine.

Klaus Iohannis: “Lack of action in such situations gives the erroneous impression that illegally obtaining territory to the detriment of sovereign and independent states is possible and tolerated. This is Ukraine’s case, with regards to which the United Nations and the Security Council in particular have not taken the measures provided for in the UN Charter.”

Klaus Iohannis also addressed the issue of terrorism. In his opinion, the international community has to do more to fight terrorism with judicial instruments, including international law. In this context, Romania joined Spain in calling for a future international terrorism tribunal. The Romanian Foreign Minister, Bogdan Aurescu, also present in New York, hosted alongside his Spanish counterpart, Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo, an event to this end. He called on participating countries to join the debate on this issue, brought up by their two countries.

Minister Garcia-Margallo thanked the Romanian minister for the initiative of creating the court, which his country joined, and underlined the need of political will in the international community to fight terrorism by judicial means. The initiative for creating the court was launched by Minister Aurescu on February 9, 2015, at the meeting of the EU Council for Foreign Affairs.

30 September 2015
Romanian – American Relations

Addressing the UN
General Assembly, visiting the Ground Zero of the 9/11 Memorial in New York,
meeting with representatives of the Romanian citizens in the United States and
holding high-level talks in Washington were high on the agenda of Romanian
president Klaus Iohannis’s visit to the United States. On Monday, President
Iohannis met with the American Vice President Joe Biden at the White House to
discuss, among other things, the Strategic Partnership between Romania and the
USA. If this Partnership is excellent in political and military terms,
President Iohannis said, there is a lot to be done as far as economy is
concerned. In a message conveyed on the opening of the BestInvest Romania
Investment Forum, held in New York, President Iohannis pointed out that America
may become one of the most important foreign investors in Romania in the
following years.

The Romanian-American trade is, however, on an upward trend,
which is a clear sign of progress, but in order to fully capitalize on all
economic opportunities, the obstacles in the way of free trade and effective
investment must first be removed. Another important thing is to win back the
investors’ trust which can be done only by improving the institutional quality
of the Romanian business environment. That involves protecting property,
reducing bureaucracy, rendering public administration more efficient and
fighting corruption. Besides discussing about the bilateral economic ties,
President Klaus Iohannis and vice president Joe Biden also approached the topic
of corruption in Romania. Topical international issues, particularly the
situation in the Republic of Moldova and the refugee crisis in Europe were also
tackled. At the conclusion of the meting, President Iohannis said:

Vice
President Biden has voiced satisfaction at the progress made in the fight
against corruption and has expressed confidence that efforts will further be
made in this respect. We have jointly assessed several questions related to
security, Romania’s security in particular, given that we are close to a crisis
area.

According to the
Romanian Presidency, US vice president Joe Biden said he would have direct
communication with President Iohannis, by phone conversations or through
Romania’s new Ambassador to Washington, George Maior. Joe Biden was extended
the invitation to attend a NATO mini-summit due in Bucharest in November, to be
also attended by countries at the Alliance’s eastern border, such as Romania,
Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Lithuania, Estonia and
Latvia. The meeting will be held ahead of next year’s NATO Summit in Warsaw.

29 September 2015
Romanian – American Relations

Addressing the UN
General Assembly, visiting the Ground Zero of the 9/11 Memorial in New York,
meeting with representatives of the Romanian citizens in the United States and
holding high-level talks in Washington were high on the agenda of Romanian
president Klaus Iohannis’s visit to the United States. On Monday, President
Iohannis met with the American Vice President Joe Biden at the White House to
discuss, among other things, the Strategic Partnership between Romania and the
USA. If this Partnership is excellent in political and military terms,
President Iohannis said, there is a lot to be done as far as economy is
concerned. In a message conveyed on the opening of the BestInvest Romania
Investment Forum, held in New York, President Iohannis pointed out that America
may become one of the most important foreign investors in Romania in the
following years.

The Romanian-American trade is, however, on an upward trend,
which is a clear sign of progress, but in order to fully capitalize on all
economic opportunities, the obstacles in the way of free trade and effective
investment must first be removed. Another important thing is to win back the
investors’ trust which can be done only by improving the institutional quality
of the Romanian business environment. That involves protecting property,
reducing bureaucracy, rendering public administration more efficient and
fighting corruption. Besides discussing about the bilateral economic ties,
President Klaus Iohannis and vice president Joe Biden also approached the topic
of corruption in Romania. Topical international issues, particularly the
situation in the Republic of Moldova and the refugee crisis in Europe were also
tackled. At the conclusion of the meting, President Iohannis said:

Vice
President Biden has voiced satisfaction at the progress made in the fight
against corruption and has expressed confidence that efforts will further be
made in this respect. We have jointly assessed several questions related to
security, Romania’s security in particular, given that we are close to a crisis
area.

According to the
Romanian Presidency, US vice president Joe Biden said he would have direct
communication with President Iohannis, by phone conversations or through
Romania’s new Ambassador to Washington, George Maior. Joe Biden was extended
the invitation to attend a NATO mini-summit due in Bucharest in November, to be
also attended by countries at the Alliance’s eastern border, such as Romania,
Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Lithuania, Estonia and
Latvia. The meeting will be held ahead of next year’s NATO Summit in Warsaw.

29 September 2015
September 29, 2015 UPDATE

CENSURE MOTION – The censure motion filed by the Liberal opposition against Prime Minister Victor Ponta on Tuesday was rejected by Parliament, with 207 votes in favour and 8 votes against. To pass, the motion needed the votes of 275 MPs. The Liberals say the accusations levelled by anti-corruption prosecutors against Victor Ponta, namely forgery, accessory to tax evasion and money laundering, no longer allow him to sign laws or take responsibility for the countrys budget and prosecuting the Prime Minister severely affects Romanias credibility. Alongside the former Social Democrat Senator Dan Sova, Ponta is accused of involvement, while being a lawyer, in committing crimes which brought the state a prejudice of over 16 million euros, more exactly to the Rovinari and Turceni energy companies in southern Romania.

UN General Assembly – The international community should do more to combat terorrism, a threat to global peace, president Klaus Iohannis said in a new speech before the UN General Assembly in New York. The president said Romania and Spain have kicked off a process to set up an International Court for Terrorism-Related Crimes. Additionally, the president said the UN should employ realism and action to deal with the main causes of migration. This is the third speech of the Romanian president after he previously tackled gender equality and the sustainable development agenda. The presidents agenda also includes his participation in the summit devoted to combating the Islamic State and violent extremism, chaired by US president Barack Obama. Previously, Klaus Iohannis met with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. The two tackled hot topics on the international agenda and highlighted the role of the UN on the global security map. On Monday, Klaus Iohannis discussed with US vice-president Joe Biden about the Strategic Partnership between Romania and the United States, the fight against terrorism and the refugee crisis facing Europe.

BLACK SEA – Romanias Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu on Tuesday chaired the informal meeting of Foreign Ministers of countries members of the Organization of Black Sea Economic Cooperation (OBSEC). Aurescu outlined the main objectives of Romania, the country currently holding the chairmanship-in-office of this organization, namely the regional inter-connection of policies in the fields of transport, energy and the environment, combating organized crime and tax evasion. Previously Aurescu took part in an informal meeting of EU Foreign Ministers, held on the sideline of the 70th session of the UN General Assembly in New York. The Romanian official said that in the case of the Syrian conflict, only a political solution could offer a long-term result, adding that the negotiation process should prevent extremist groups from consolidating their position in the area.

SYRIA – Also in the case of Syria, US president Barack Obama and Russian leader Vladimir Putin have taken different stands. Obama insists that Syrian president Bashar al-Assad should leave power, whereas Putin underlines no one truly fights against the Islamic State jihadist group, except for Assad and his militia. Putin called on the UN Security Council to adopt a resolution meant to instate a broad coalition against the Islamic State, reiterating that Russia will not take part in any action meant to topple what he called ‘a legitimate government. A meeting of the contact group for Syria, comprising the US, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Turkey and Egypt has already been set for October.

RESIGNATION – The Deputy Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Liberal Dan Motreanu on Tuesday tendered his resignation, which could become official as early as October 1. On Monday, anti-corruption prosecutors indicted Dan Motreanu and former presidential advisor George Scutaru, charged with receiving hundreds of thousands of euros in bribe for funding the 2008 election campaign of the National Liberal Party.

IMF – Romania this year will request the signing of a new standby assistance programme with the IMF. Negotiations will focus on the implementation of structural reforms, not on the budget deficit, as Finance Minister Eugen Teodorovici on Tuesday had told Reuters. The previous standby-agreement with the IMF signed in 2013 and worth 2 billion euros expired on Saturday. Its purpose was to safeguard the economy against external market shocks. Since the outset of the economic crisis in 2009, Romania has signed three consecutive loan agreements with the IMF and the EU, which helped the Government carry sustain its budget and economic policies and privatise state-owned companies.

TABLE TENNIS – The Romanian womens table tennis team on Tuesday won the silver medal at the European Championships in Russia after losing the final to Germany 3-nil. A win would have brought the fourth continental title for the Romanian players after the wins of 1992, 2002 and 2005. The mens team had a disappointing run in this years edition, ranking 15th after grabbing its first win on Tuesday, in the last match against Ukraine.

TENNIS – Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, ranked 2nd in WTA standings on Tuesday defeated Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, 33rd WTA-ranked, in the second round of the WTA tournament in Wuhan, totalling 2,2 million dollars in prize money. Seeded first in the competition, Halep won in two sets, 6-2, 6-1 and will next take on Johanna Konta of the United Kingdom in the round of last 16. Also on Tuesday, irina Begu lost to Roberta Vinci of Italy, while Monica Niculescu, ranked 47th in WTA standings, lost to Carla Suarez Navarro, ranked 10th in WTA standings. Irina Begu and Monica Niculescu has qualified to the doubles round of last 16, where they will take on Ala Kudriavtseva of Russia and Olga Savchuk of Ukraine.

29 September 2015
September 29, 2015

CENSURE MOTION – The censure motion entitled “Choose between Romania and Ponta, a compromised Prime Minister. Dismiss Victor Ponta!” initiated by the Liberal opposition was rejected in a plenary session of Parliament on Tuesday, with 207 votes for the motion and 8 votes against it. 275 votes would have been needed for the motion to be passed. In the Liberals’ opinion the accusations levelled by the prosecutors of the National Anticorruption Directorate against Ponta, namely forgery, accessory to tax evasion and money laundering, no longer allow him to sign laws or to take responsibility for the country’s budget and prosecuting the prime minister severely affects Romania’s credibility. Alongside the former Social Democrat senator Dan Sova, Ponta is accused of involvement, while being a lawyer, in committing illegalities which brought a prejudice of over 16 million Euro to the state, more exactly to the Rovinari and Turceni energy companies in southern Romania.

PRESIDENCY – Romania’s President, Klaus Iohannis, is again addressing the UN General Assembly today. This is the third speech delivered by Iohannis before the world leaders, after he referred to gender equality and the sustainable development agenda, over the past few days. Also today, Klaus Iohannis will attend a high-level summit countering violent extremism and the Islamic State, a summit initiated and hosted by US President, Barack Obama. The Romanian president will also participate in a meeting organised by Croatia’s President, Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic, which brings together leaders from the Black Sea, Adriatic Sea and Baltic Sea area. Yesterday, President Klaus Iohannis discussed with US vice-president Joe Biden on the bilateral Strategic Partnership, the fight against terrorism and the refugee crisis that Europe is faced with.

SYRIA – Referring to the situation in Syria, Romanian foreign minister, Bogdan Aurescu, has said only a political solution can produce a lasting result. Aurescu has said this process should unfold in such a way so as to prevent extremist groups from consolidating their positions in the area. At the informal meeting of the EU foreign ministers held in New York, Aurescu has reiterated the need to provide support to Syria’s neighbouring countries, which provide shelter to refugees. The meeting was held on the sidelines of the 70th UN General Assembly.

MEETING — US President Barack Obama and Russian leader Vladimir Putin took different stands on the Syrian file, which took centre stage again yesterday, at the 70th UN General Assembly in New York. Obama insists that Syrian president Bashar al-Assad should leave power, whereas Putin underlines no one truly fights against the Islamic State Jihadist group, except for Assad and his militia. Putin called on the UN Security Council to adopt a resolution meant to instate a broad coalition against the Islamic State, reiterating that Russia will not take part in any action meant to topple what he called “a legitimate government. A meeting of the contact group for Syria, made up of the US, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Turkey and Egypt has already been set for October.

TABLE TENNIS – The Romanian women’s table tennis team won the silver medal in the European Championship final in Yekaterinburg, Russia, after it sustained defeat from Germany 3-0. If they scored a victory, the Romanians would have won the fourth continental title, after those in 1992, 2002 and 2005. In exchange, the Romanian men’s table tennis team ranks 15th. It managed to score only one victory in the competition, against Ukraine, on Tuesday.

29 September 2015
Romania’s President Addresses the UN

The United Nations
Organisation is the main forum of debate in the world. Gathered at the UN
headquarters in New York, to attend the 70th UN General Assembly,
leaders from all over the world delivered speeches and made commitments. After
the adoption of the 2030 UN Agenda for Sustainable Development, Romania will
revise its National Sustainable Development Strategy, president Iohannis
underlined, and will integrate the 17 goals and 169 targets agreed upon at the
New York Summit. The 2030 agenda is meant to eradicate poverty under all its
forms and to assure sustainable development.

What will Romania lay emphasis on?
Addressing the heads of state and government attending the UN summit, Klaus
Iohannis said Romania’s strategy lays emphasis on granting greater support to
people with disabilities, youth and women, which should be better included in
development policies. Decent employment opportunities are necessary in the
effort to eradicate poverty and social cohesion policies should be pursued in
order to prevent and avoid social exclusion, the Romanian president also said.
Poverty, the lack of hope, despair and social exclusion should be contained
because they are at the core of all conflicts, the seed of violence and
extremism, Klaus Iohannis went on to say. That is why, each nation has the
moral obligation to save and support people.

The president gave a recent
example, referring to the hundreds of thousands of people who have fled war in the past few months,
searching for a better life, trying to cross into Europe, more often than not
risking their lives. This growing inflow of migrants from the Middle East and
Africa has prompted the European countries to make huge efforts to prevent a
wide scale humanitarian disaster. We are facing a complex crisis, with
significant humanitarian aspects, a crisis of border protection, a crisis of
integration and a financial crisis, the Romanian president said. If we don’t
find the best means to solve each of these crises, each wave of migration will
exceed the previous one, Klaus Iohannis underlined.

Also at the UN headquarters,
Romania’s president stood for promoting women’s rights, a prerequisite for
social justice, development and peace. Klaus Iohannis also said he was
personally committed, as part of the Impact 30 strategy, to launching a new
integrated system meant to monitor, report and prevent all forms of violence,
to create a new profession, that of expert on gender equality, as well as to
develop and implement programs aimed at convincing girls and boys to get
involved in the country’s political, social and economic life, in order to
create a new generation of leaders. Klaus Iohannis gave assurances that Romania
supports gender equality, will protect and promote all women’s rights and will
implement the international legal instruments in the field.

28 September 2015
September 26, 2015 UPDATE

VISIT –Romania’s President, Klaus Iohannis, who is currently on a visit to the US, on Saturday met with representatives of the Romanian community in New York. His Saturday’s agenda also included talks with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, and his participation in a dinner offered by Japan’s Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe. On Friday, he attended the opening of the UN Summit, which adopted an ambitious sustainable development plan for the following 15 years, whose annual estimated costs stand at thousands of billions of dollars. Romania’s President, whose visit will come to a close on September 29, is also due to meet US Vice-President Joe Biden, for talks on the refugee crisis Europe is facing and the fight against terrorism.

COOPERATION — Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis has met in New York, with his Turkmen counterpart, Gurbanguli Berdamuhamedov, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. According to the Presidential Administration in Bucharest, the two presidents underlined the interest they take in further boosting bilateral relations and in capitalising on the economic cooperation potential more efficiently, especially in such domains as energy, infrastructure and agriculture. In this context, the two officials mentioned the importance of implementing a joint project aimed at setting up a freight transport corridor from the Black-Sea to the Caspian Sea. They have also expressed their wish to cooperate more actively within the framework of the EU Strategy for Central Asia.

FINANCIAL — Romania’s agreement with the IMF, which was blocked in mid 2014, expired on Saturday, with experts saying we will soon have a clear image of the future evolution and direction of the relations between the two sides. A revision of the current 4 billion Euro agreement with the international creditors has been blocked since June 2014, in the lack of an agreement on the Romanian Government’s fiscal plans. In the first part of the year, the Romanian authorities tried to adopt a complex package of tax reductions included in the new Fiscal Code, but the representatives of the international financial institutions, as well as those of the Fiscal Council and the National Bank of Romania have been critical of such an approach. This month, finance minister Eugen Teodorovici, has made public Romania’s intention to start talks with its international creditors to reach a new assistance agreement, to take effect in 2016. In his opinion, the agreement is needed to protect Romania’s finances from fluctuations and shocks on the market.

MIGRATION — Romania is currently under no migration pressure, and the Romanian authorities have taken all necessary measures to maintain national safety and security, Romanian deputy prime minister and interior minister, Gabriel Oprea said on Saturday. As regards the refugee crisis, he underlined that Romania pledged to take in some 1,785 people and voted alongside Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Hungary, against the introduction of mandatory refugee quotas, by means of which Brussels directs some more 2,475 migrants to Romania. Gabriel Oprea recalled that 6 refugee reception centres are functioning in Romania, alongside two newly laid out camps in Timis County, (in the south-west, near Romania’s border with Hungary and Serbia, respectively).

REFUGEE CRISIS — New laws to manage the increasing number of asylum seekers in Germany might take effect on November the 1st, said Peter Altmaier, Chief of Staff of the Federal Chancellery in Angela Merkel’s cabinet. The measures, which will include additional financial support as well as stricter rules for asylum seekers in Germany, have been agreed upon during a meeting between the German chancellor and the heads of government of most German states. Germany expects between 800,000 and one million asylum seekers to be registered this year, a record high for this country and for Europe, in general. A conference on the refugee crisis focussing on the Western Balkans and Eastern Mediterranean route that the migrants follow on their way to Europe, will be held in Luxembourg, on October 8. Attending the conference will be foreign and interior ministers of the member states, Turkey and the Balkan states. Since the start of the year, some 500,000 migrants from the Middle East and North Africa fled war and poverty in their native countries and headed for the EU.

RUGBY — Romania’s national rugby team will face Ireland in London on Sunday, in a second Pool D game of the Rugby World Cup 2015. In the debut match played on Wednesday, Romania was defeated by the vice-champion, France, 38-11. Playing in Pool D are also Italy and Canada. Dubbed the Oak Leaf Knights, the Romanian rugby players participated in all the seven editions of the World Cup, but they never went past the group stage.

DANCESPORT — Between September 25 and 27, the central Romanian town of Sibiu is hosting the Transylvanian Grand Prix, the most important dancesport competition of the year in Romania, which enjoys the participation of over 1,500 dancers from 25 countries. The competition is structured on age categories, from 6 year olds to professionals. 20 pairs are taking part in the World Open Competition destined for professionals, all of them being included on the Top 50-World Ranking List. Dancing on Sunday, the last day of the Transylvanian Grand Prix, will be, among others, the Show Dance world champions, Romanians Roman Ciflicli and Mirona Gliga. The pair has recently won the world title in Chengdu, China.

26 September 2015
September 26, 2015

VISIT — Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis, who is currently on an official visit to the US, is due to meet with representatives of the Romanian community in New York, have talks with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, and attend the dinner offered by Japan’s Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe. On Friday, he attended the opening of the UN Summit, which adopted an ambitious plan of sustainable development for the following 15 years, whose annual estimated costs stand at thousands of billions of dollars. Klaus Iohannis has also had talks with the President of the UN General Assembly, Mogens Lykketoft. The agenda of the Romanian President’s visit, which comes to a close on September 29, also includes talks with US Vice-President Joe Biden, on the refugee crisis Europe is facing and the fight against terrorism.

COOPERATION — Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis has met in New York, with his Turkmen counterpart, Gurbanguli Berdamuhamedov, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. According to the Presidential Administration in Bucharest, the two presidents underlined the interest they take in further boosting bilateral relations and in capitalising on the economic cooperation potential more efficiently, especially in such domains as energy, infrastructure and agriculture. In this context, the two officials mentioned the importance of implementing a joint project aimed at setting up a freight transport corridor from the Black-Sea to the Caspian Sea. They have also expressed their wish to cooperate more actively within the framework of the EU Strategy for Central Asia.

FINANCIAL — Romania’s agreement with the IMF, which was blocked in mid 2014, expires today, with experts saying we will soon have a clear image of the future evolution and direction of the relations between the two sides. A revision of the current 4 billion Euro agreement with the international creditors has been blocked since June 2014, in the lack of an agreement on the Romanian Government’s fiscal plans. In the first part of the year, the Romanian authorities tried to adopt a complex package of tax reductions included in the new Fiscal Code, but the representatives of the international financial institutions, as well as those of the Fiscal Council and the National Bank of Romania have been critical of such an approach. This month, finance minister Eugen Teodorovici, has made public Romania’s intention to start talks with its international creditors to reach a new assistance agreement, to take effect in 2016. In his opinion, the agreement is needed to protect Romania’s finances from fluctuations and shocks on the market.

REFUGEE CRISIS — New laws to manage the increasing number of asylum seekers in Germany might take effect on November the 1st, said Peter Altmaier, Chief of Staff of the Federal Chancellery in Angela Merkel’s cabinet. The measures, which will include additional financial support as well as stricter rules for asylum seekers in Germany, have been agreed upon during a meeting between the German chancellor and the heads of government of most German states. Germany expects between 800,000 and one million asylum seekers to be registered this year, a record high for this country and for Europe, in general. A conference on the refugee crisis focussing on the Western Balkans and Eastern Mediterranean route that the migrants follow on their way to Europe, will be held in Luxembourg, on October 8. Attending the conference will be foreign and interior ministers of the member states, Turkey and the Balkan states. Since the start of the year, some 500,000 migrants from the Middle East and North Africa fled war and poverty in their native countries and headed for the EU.

TENNIS — Romanian tennis player Irina Begu, on Saturday qualified for the finals of the WTA tennis tournament in Seoul with 426,750 US dollars in prize money up for grabs, after she defeated Belgian Alison van Uytvanck 6-0, 6-2. First seeded Irina Begu, will be facing in the finals of the competition Belarusian Aliaksandra Sasnovich. The qualification to the Seoul tennis tournament finals is the best result scored by Begu this year.

DANCESPORT — Between September 25 and 27, the central Romanian town of Sibiu is hosting the Transylvanian Grand Prix, the most important dancesport competition of the year in Romania, which enjoys the participation of over 1,500 dancers from 25 countries. The competition is structured on age categories, from 6 year olds to professionals. 20 pairs are taking part in the World Open Competition destined for professionals, all of them being included on the Top 50-World Ranking List. Dancing on Sunday, the last day of the Transylvanian Grand Prix, will be, among others, the Show Dance world champions, Romanians Roman Ciflicli and Mirona Gliga. The pair has recently won the world title in Chengdu, China.

26 September 2015