Radio România Internațional

Tag: visit to the US

December 2, 2023

COP28 – Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis on Saturday said on the
sidelines of the UN Climate Change Conference in Dubai that Romania has one of
the lowest carbon gas emissions per capita at EU level, and is firmly committed
to accelerating measures to curb the effects of climate change through a mix of
renewable and nuclear energy. Romania seeks to reduce its carbon footprint by
80% by 2030 and then move swiftly to become climate neutral, the president
added. World leaders attending the UN Climate Change Conference are expected to
promise to triple their renewable energy capacity, enhance nuclear energy
capabilities and reduce methane emissions. At the start of the summit, the UN
Secretary General called for a global effort to renounce fossil fuels, while
the host of the conference, the United Arab Emirates, called for closer
cooperation with oil companies.

VISIT – Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu is paying an official visit
to the United States over December 3-6. He will be accompanied by a delegation
comprising the ministers of Defense, Foreign Affairs and the Economy. The visit
is designed to advance joint economic projects, boost American investment in
Romania and consolidate political and security cooperation with the USA. On Sunday,
Marcel Ciolacu is expected to meet representatives of Romanian communities in
Washington, Virginia and Maryland. On Monday, the Romanian Prime Minister will
meet Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and State Secretary Antony Blinken.
Marcel Ciolacu will also discuss with Jennifer Granholm, US Secretary of
Energy. The Prime Minister’s agenda also includes meetings with representatives
of Lockheed Martin and Google, Roland S. Lauder, the chairman of the World
Jewish Congress and Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary General.

WAR IN GAZA – Israeli
authorities have notified the Romanian Foreign Ministry about the death of a
person of Romanian and Israeli citizenship, held hostage by Hamas in Gaza. The
Foreign Ministry have conveyed its condolences to the family, announcing that
another 3 people with double citizenship are being held hostage in the Strip.
The Ministry has called for the release of all hostages. Israel has resumed its
bombing of positions held by Hamas in Gaza, after a 7-day ceasefire that allowed
the release of 100 people held hostage by Hamas in exchange for 180 Palestinian
prisoners. The Israeli army announced it has bombed over 200 terrorist targets.
In turn, Gaza authorities say 200 people were killed and 600 were wounded in
air raids. Humanitarian aid was again blocked on the border, and shootings with
Hezbollah were reported on Israel’s northern border. Israel and Hamas have
accused each other of violating the ceasefire, but according to Radio Romania’s
correspondent in the region, both sides continue to negotiate a new
humanitarian ceasefire.

TRAIN – The first of a
series of 37 electric trains built by Alstom is expected to arrive in Romania
on Saturday, the Rail Reform Authority has announced. This is the first
electric train bought in the last 40 years and the first new train after a
break of 20 years. The train will enter the testing phase on December 6, which
comprises 10,000 km in the local circuit before being rendered operational. The
37 electric regional trains were bought with EU funds and will link Bucharest
to the main urban centers of Romania.

HANDBALL – Romania won its
first match at the World Handball Championships, beating Chile 44-19 in
Herning, Denmark. Romania will next play Serbia on December 3 and Denmark on
December 5. The top three teams in each group will
advance to the so-called main group stage. Romania is the only team that has
taken part in all 26 editions of the World Handball Championship, a competition
it won once in 1962. Romania played another two finals in 1973 and 2005, and
came in third in 2015. Romania was ranked 13th at the previous
edition. (VP)

2 December 2023
April 1, 2023

VISIT – As part of his visit to the United States, Romania’s
Defense Minister, Angel Tîlvăr,
met with representatives of American research and analysis institutes
specializing in the field of security. According to a press release published
by the Defense Ministry, the meeting tackled the status and prospects of the
war in Ukraine, NATO’s response in support of Ukraine, as well as lessons
learned and ways of strengthening Allied support for this country. Moreover,
the meeting also highlighted the decisions of the NATO Summit in Madrid and
their implementation. During his visit to the US, Minister Tîlvăr underscored in his meetings with American
officials the benefits of the Strategic Partnership between Romania and the
USA. On March 30, Angel Tîlvăr
met with Cara Abercrombie, coordinator for defense policy and arms control for
the White House National Security Council. On March 31, the Romanian official
met with Gina Ortiz Jones, Assistant Secretary of the US Air Forces.

NATO – Mircea Geoană’s
term as deputy NATO Secretary General has been extended by another year until
October 2024. Secretary General Jens Stolotenberg has thanked the Romanian
official, arguing Mircea Geoană has
been remarkable as his deputy, supporting him personally during a critical time
for Euro-Atlantic security. In a Facebook post, Mircea Geoană said the decision is an encourangement to all
Romanians to aim high, as well as a chance for Romania to take advantage of the
strategic opportunities offered by the latest geopolitical developments. On the
other hand, according to the British publication The Sun, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen is
expected to submit her candidacy to become the next NATO Secretary General,
considering Jens Stoltenberg’s term will end in October, after having
been extended three times. Spain’s Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, as well as Great
Britain’s Defense Secretary, Ben Wallace, are reportedly also on the candidate
list.

RRF – The European Commission has so far disbursed €150 billion to
Member States as part of its Recovery and Resilience Facility in the two years
since it was launched. The funds were earmarked for reforms and investments in
beneficiary states. To increase the transparency of RRF funds, this week the
Commission launched an online interactive map tracking projects actively funded
under this mechanism. 10 out of the total of 350 projects listed on the map are
in Romania, including the National Forestation Plan, the construction of the A7
motorway linking Ploiești (south) to
Pașcani (east) or the modernization of the railway linking Cluj to
Oradea (northwest).

INCIDENT
– The Romanian Foreign Ministry on Saturday announced that Canadian authorities
are still to confirm the citizenship of eight people who died while trying to
cross illegally into the United States from Canada. Their bodies were
discovered in a marshy area of St. Lawrence River, which forms part of the
Canada-US border, the local authorities have announced. Another person, thought
to have operated the boat transporting the people, is still missing. The
Ministry’s announcement follows an earlier report by the media saying that one
of the two families was of Romanian origin. US President Joe Biden and Canada’s
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau last week agreed to turn people back who
requested asylum at official crossing points along the border. Local police
says the decision did not affect the tragedy of the two families, as they were
trying to enter the United States, not Canada.

TENNIS -
Romanian tennis player Sorana Cîrstea has missed the opportunity of qualifying
to the WTA 1000 final in Miami, after losing to Petra Kvitova of the Czech
Republic, 7-5, 6-4 in the semi-finals. After reaching the Indian Wells
quarterfinals earlier this year, Cîrstea had not dropped a set in the Miami
Open, knocking out Fernanda Contreras (Mexico), Caroline Garcia (France),
Karolina Muchova (the Czech Republic), Marketa Vondrousova (the Czech Republic)
and Aryna Sabalenka (Belarus). (VP)

1 April 2023
March 26, 2019

CONSULTATIONS – President Klaus Iohannis is today consulting
with representatives of civil society regarding the justice referendum. The
President last week said he was almost determined to call a referendum
coinciding with the European Parliament election of May 26. The president’s
announcement followed the Constitutional Court’s ruling sanctioning a
referendum on the same day as the European Parliament election.

MEETING – Romania’s Prime Minister Viorica Dancila met
with US Secretary of Trade Wilbur Ross during her visit to the United States of
America. On this occasion, Dancila highlighted the importance of consolidating
economic cooperation as part of the Strategic Partnership between the two
states. According to a Government release made public today, Viorica Dancila
presented the measures the Government has taken to ensure an appealing business
sector by increasing the budget of investment in key fields, simplifying the
legislation on public-private partnership as well as awarding tax benefits to
companies carrying out investment with a major economic impact. During her
visit talks focused on the achievements reported so far by the Romanian
Presidency of the Council of the EU on several files of major importance for
the development of the business sector, such as energy, digitization and
finance.

YOUTH -
The European Union Youth Conference kicks off today in Bucharest, organized by
the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The main topics
on the three-day agenda of the conference are the integration of young people
on the labour market and improving dialogue between the youth and the
authorities. Taking part are some 250 representatives of young people and line
ministers from Member States. Also represented are states in the Eastern
Partnership and the West Balkans, European and international bodies in the
field of youth and labour.

BREXIT – British MPs on Monday evening voted in favour
of taking control of the UK’s scheduled withdrawal from the community bloc. The
move is unprecedented, aimed at offering MPs the possibility to choose a
solution to overcome the Brexit deadlock. MPs on Wednesday will vote a series
of motions to decide whether or not they support the various Brexit scenarios,
which include the organization of a new referendum, a no-deal Brexit or
revoking Article 50. We recall Parliament has twice rejected Prime Minister
Theresa May’s negotiated agreement with the EU. At the summit organized last
week in Brussels, EU leaders accepted a postponement of Brexit, originally
slated for March 29, and gave the UK two deadlines. In the first scenario, if
Parliament finally approves the original Brexit agreement, the deadline for
leaving the EU will be May 22. In the second scenario, if the agreement falls
through, the deadline for Brexit will be April 12, during which time London is
expected to choose the direction in which it is headed. Meanwhile, Brussels
announced it has concluded its ‘no-deal’ preparations.

EU-CHINA -
Germany’s chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emanuel Macron and
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker are today holding talks in Paris
with Chinese President Xi Jinping about future relations between Europe and
China. The Chinese President is on a tour of Europe to gather support for his
project The New Silk Road, aimed at linking China to Europe by means of a
thousand-billion-dollar investment by 2030. Several EU states have signed
protocols expressing their desire to join the project, and last week Europe’s
third-largest economy, Italy, currently facing severe economic imbalances, became
the first G7 country to sing. European Commission representatives have called
for the immediate establishment of a joint strategy, concerned with Chinese
investment in key sectors in Member States, such as electricity grids,
high-speed rail networks and port infrastructure.

FOOTBALL – Romania’s national football team is today playing the
Faeroe Islands at home in Group F of the 2020 European Championship
preliminaries. Romania on Saturday lost 2-1 to Sweden away from home. The group
also includes Spain, Norway, Malta. The first two teams will advance to the
championship. On Monday, Romania’s Under-21 team defeated Denmark 1-nil in a
friendly game played in Spain. Our under-21 team will play in the 2019 European
Championships hosted by Italy and San Marino in Group C, alongside England,
France and Croatia.

TENNIS – Romanian tennis player world no. 3 Simona Halep has qualified in
the quarterfinals of the Miami Open in the US, a tournament with total prizes
of some 9 million dollars. The second-see ousted Venus Williams of the United
States (43 WTA) in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3. Halep will next take on 18th-seed
Qiang Wang of China.

(translated by V. Palcu)

26 March 2019
June 6, 2017

PRESIDENT — Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis is today meeting the director of the Central Intelligence Agency Mike Pompeo as part of his five-day visit to the United States. The American Jewish Committee global forum presented Iohannis with the Light Unto the Nations distinction, the highest of its kind awarded to heads of state and government in recognition of their international efforts to promote peace, security, democracy and human values. On June 9 the president will meet the White House leader Donald Trump, Iohannis thus becoming the first head of state from Central and Eastern Europe to meet Trump since the US president took office. Talks will most likely focus on fostering bilateral relations and consolidating the Strategic Partnership between Romania and the United States, 20 years after being launched.

MIGRATION — Migration is one of the factors that can most influence the security context, Minister Delegate for European Affairs Ana Birchall has said. The Romanian official is attending the conference titled “International Migration and Global Security”, hosted by the “George C. Marshall” European Centre for Security Studies in Garmisch Partenkirchen. The event is co-organized by the US and Germany. Attending are experts and government officials from 45 countries in Europe, Asia, the Pacific, Middle East and Africa. Participants will tackle the prospects of migration, the future of global security and sustainable ways the international community could adopt to counter these challenges.

LONDON ATTACK — A moment of silence was observed on Tuesday in Great Britain in memory of Saturday’s terrorist attack. Meanwhile the authorities are continuing their investigation. Three attackers ploughed into a crowd of people on London bridge, abandoned the truck and assaulted passers-by. Claimed by the Islamic State jihadist group, the attack killed 7 people and wounded many others. A Romanian citizen who stood up to one of the terrorists on Saturday is now being praised for his heroics by international media.

QATAR — Qatar today called for an open and honest dialogue with its neighbours, saying it does not wish for the crisis to escalate. Arab nations on Monday announced the severance of all diplomatic ties with this country, whom they accuse of sponsoring terrorism. Airliners from several neighbour states have cancelled their flights to the capital-city Doha, while Qatar Airways was forced to call off some of its flights, although its flights are still operational in Europe. The United States, Russia, Turkey and Iran have called for dialogue. We recall that two weeks ago US president Donald Trump called on the Arab League to unite against extremist organizations and criticized Iran. Qatar plays host to the largest US military base in the region. The Romanian Foreign Ministry has warned all Romanian citizens planning a trip to Qatar that all land, air and maritime borders with Saudi Arabia are currently shut down.

MONTENEGRO — Montenegro is the 29th state to officially join the North-Atlantic Treaty Organization. Foreign Minister Srdjan Darmanovic submitted his country’s accession portfolio in a ceremony hosted by the US State Department. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Montenegro’s accession will favour stability in the Western Balkans as well as international peace and security. With Montenegro’s accession NATO is now in control of the entire northern Mediterranean seacoast, from the Gibraltar to Syria.

FOOTBALL — FCSB, the former Steaua Bucharest, has filed a notification with the International Court for Arbitration in Sports challenging the decision of the Romanian Professional Football League whereby FC Viitorul was declared Romanian champion in the 2016-2017 season. Steaua had the same number of points as Viitorul at the end of the season and claims the title should be theirs, as Steaua has the advantage of direct encounters in the last four games. The Professional Football League decided to award Viitorul the title after taking into account only the results of the second half of the football season, when Viitorul defeated Steaua. Founded in 2009 by the former player Gheorghe Hagi, Viitorul is the youngest club in Europe ever to win a domestic competition.

TENNIS — Romanian tennis player Simona Halep on Wednesday is playing Ukrainian Elina Svitolina in the Roland Garros quarterfinals. The two players are tied in head-on encounters, Simona winning in 2013 once and Svitolina defeating the Romanian player in the final of the Rome tournament this year. In the women’s doubles, Raluca Olaru of Romania and Olga Savchuk of Ukraine are taking on third-seeds Yung-Jan Chan of Taiwan and Martina Hingis of Switzerland in the quarterfinals. In the same event Irina Begu of Romania and Saisai Zheng of China are going up against Ashleigh Barty and Casey Dellacqua of Australia. (Translated by V. Palcu)

6 June 2017