Radio România Internațional

Tag: White House

  • July 26, 2018

    July 26, 2018

    VISIT Romanian Prime Minister Viorica Dancila is today continuing her Western Balkans tour with a visit to the Republic of Macedonia. The Romanian official is to have talks with president Gjorge Ivanov and her counterpart Zoran Zaev. On Wednesday she went to Montenegro where she held talks with president Milo Djukanovic and her counterpart Dusko Marcovic. Dancila has voiced conviction the authorities in Podgorica will continue to take the necessary steps towards the countrys EU accession and has pledged the Western Balkans will be a key priority of the upcoming Romanian EU presidency and that Romania will be offering the expertise and the necessary technical assistance for the success of this process.




    GREECE The Foreign Ministry in Bucharest has announced there is no information about the existence of Romanian victims among those caused by the wildfires in Greece. The latest death toll of the wildfires, that recently affected Greece, stands at 81; 200 other people have been wounded with scores still missing. The Custodian of the Crown of Romania and president of the Romanian Red Cross, Margareta, has conveyed a message to Greece in which she expressed her compassion for the fire victims at the same time pledging support from the Romanian Red Cross. In turn, the Romanian Orthodox Church has made an appeal to all its churches around the country and abroad to donate money in order to financially support the victims of the wildfires in Greece. The funds raised will be eventually donated to the Archbishopric of Athens. We recall that on Wednesday Romania dispatched two planes to the fire-affected areas: one fitted with fire-extinguishing equipment and a Hercules C-130 to provide logistic support. Sweden has also reported a series of forest fires close to the Arctic Circle where several towns have already been evacuated.




    SPORTS The Romanian mens water polo team is today taking on the similar side of France, in a fixture counting towards the 11th – 12th positions at the European Championships, underway in Spains Barcelona. Romania has participated in the last 10 editions of the European Championships, and their best position ever was a 4th place in 2006. Also today, Romanias vice-champion football side FCSB, formerly known as Steaua Bucharest, take on Slovenian contenders NK Rudar Valenje, away from home, while Viitorul Constanta, in the south-east, play a home game against Dutch challengers Vitesse Arnhem, in a match counting towards Europa Leagues second preliminary round. Romanias Cup winner CSU Craiova, in the south, play straight into the competitions third round. We recall that on Tuesday Romanias title holders CFR Cluj conceded a 1-nil home defeat to Swedish opponents Malmo FF, in the first round of Champions leagues second preliminary round. The return legs are scheduled next week.




    AGREEMENT US president Donald Trump and the head of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker have announced they reached an agreement over the trade relations between the United States and the European Union.The White House leader has announced his country will cooperate with the EU for increasing trade exchnges in the field of services, chemical, pharmaceutical, medical and soy products whereas the EU is expected to increase its liquefied gas imports from the USA. Jean-Claude Juncker said that he and the US leader had agreed that the EU and US would not impose any new tarrifs to each other during the talks. President Trump was considering a 25% tax on car imports, a measure that could affect European, Japanese and Korean producers.



    (translated by bill)

  • July 22, 2017

    July 22, 2017

    AIR SHOW — The 9th edition of the Bucharest International Air Show is held today at Baneasa Airport in Romania’s capital city. Attending are professionals of the civil and military aviation from Romania, Turkey, Poland, Hungary, Britain, Germany, the US, Greece, Austria and Lithuania. Over 100 civil and military aircraft and 200 pilots and parachutists are taking part in this year’s Bucharest International Air Show. A General Aviation Exhibition has also been opened on this occasion at Baneasa Airport.



    FAIR — Thousands of people are expected to atend this weekend the Maidens’ Fair on Mount Gaina, the largest and best known open-air traditional fair in Romania, first mentioned by documents in 1816. In the old times, this holiday was a good opportunity for the people in the area to get together and celebrate and for the young people to make new friendships and even get married. At present, the Maidens’ Fair is aimed at promoting traditional handicraft and costume and the countrys customs, traditions and authentic folk music.




    FRANCOPHONE GAMES – Thousands of young athletes launched the International Francophone Games in Abidjan on Friday. The 10-day Jeux de la Francophonie is held every four years and includes cultural exchanges while aiming to promote the French language. At the previous edition held in Nice, France, Romania won 9 gold medals, 10 silver and 4 bronze. This year Romania takes part only in the sports competition. The Games will include basketball, football, wrestling and cycling, among other sports. Up to 48 nations will take part in the event.




    WHITE HOUSE – Sarah Huckabee Sanders, is the White House new press secretary, replacing Sean Spicer who has resigned. The media sees Spicers resignation as a protest over President Trump’s decision to bring in new people. Sarah Huckabee Sanders gained prominence in recent months as she has taken on more public-facing duties on President Donald Trumps communication team. During her first appearance as press secretary, Sanders said taking the job at the White House is “one of the greatest honors that any person could ever have.”




    WARSAW – Polands upper house of parliament has approved a Supreme Court overhaul, seen by the opposition as aimed to undermine democratic checks and balances. The opposition and judges groups in Poland, as well as critics in Brussels, say the legislation is a new step by the Polish government towards authoritarianism. The parliament pushed through the change to the Supreme Court, which gives the government power to select candidates for the court. Tens of thousands of protesters gathered in the capital, Warsaw, in Krakow and other cities to protest against the draft bill. To become law, the bill needs to be signed by President Andrzej Duda. The European Union and the United have recently urged Poland to ensure any changes respect the constitution.




    International Tennis Federation — The coach of Romania’s Fed Cup team, the former tennis player Ilie Năstase, has said today in a Facebook post that he is disappointed but not surprised by the recent decision of the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and that he will seek justice by appealing the decision at an independent body. We remind you that on Friday the International Tennis Federation announced that Nastase was suspended from any official position he was holding until 2021 because, according to the ITF, at a match held in Romania against the UK, in April, he used insulting words against Romania’s adversaries, against a referee and a journalist. Also Ilie Năstase received a fine worth 10 thousand dollars. According to the president of the Romanian Tennis Federation, George Cosac, the ITF’s decision is too tough and the accusations leveled against Năstase exaggerated. Năstase and the Romanian Tennis Federation can appeal the decision in an independent court in 3 weeks time.


    (Translated by Elena Enache)

  • June 10, 2017

    June 10, 2017

    PRESIDENCY — Romanian President Klaus Iohannis will pay a two-day visit to Berlin starting on June 19, to hold talks with his German counterpart Frank Steinmeier and with Chancellor Angela Merkel , official sources told Radio Romania. On the sidelines of the European Council in Brussels, due on June 22 and 23, Iohannis will meet with French President Emmanuel Macron. President Iohannis has ended his 5-day visit to the US with a meeting with the country’s president, Donald Trump, at the White House. During a White House press conference held together with Klaus Iohannis, Donald Trump called Romania a good friend of America and said the two countries have much in common, including a love of freedom. He also thanked Romania for its contribution to common defence and the fight against terrorism, saying it is a valuable ally. Trump also applauded Romanias efforts in clamping down on corruption. In his turn, President Iohannis said the two leaders had a very good meeting and reiterated the importance of the Strategic Partnership for Romania, which, he said, had shaped Romania as it is today and helped it become a solid democracy with solid and sustainable economic growth. Iohannis also emphasised the importance of the transatlantic relationship, saying that NATO and the European Union do not have to compete, but work together.



    TIFF – The 16th edition of the Transylvania International Film Festival is ending today in Cluj Napoca, north-western Romania. 12 movies were vying for the first prize during the festival, which saw the screening of 255 films from 53 countries. Over 12 hundred guests from Romania and abroad participated in the screenings, concerts, workshops, debates and film-launching ceremonies at Romania’s most important film festival. Today, the famous French film star Alain Delon, at his first presence in Romania, will receive the Life Achievement Award, while Romanian actress Tora Vasilescu will receive the Excellency Award for her 40-year career in cinema.




    ELECTIONS — Elections for mayor will be held on Sunday in 49 Romanian localities. The positions became vacant following resignations, situations of incompatibility and invalidation of mandates, death and imprisonment. Partial elections will be held in five county seats, nine towns and 35 communes. We remind you that local and legislative elections were held in Romania in 2016.




    EXPO ASTANA 2017 – Romania will take part in Astana EXPO 2017 international exposition titled The Energy of the Future, which opens on Saturday in Kazakhstans capital. More than 110 countries are taking part. The central element of the Romanian pavilion will be the ELI-NP laser project in Magurele, which is seen as the most important investment in Romanian research in the last 50 years. Romania will present itself at the exposition in Astana as a country of innovation and inventions. After 1989, Romania has taken part in all world and international expositions held under the aegis of the Bureau of International Expositions. EXPO Astana is open until the 10th of September.




    ROLAND GARROS – Romanias highest-ranked player and world no. 4 Simona Halep is today facing Latvias Jelena Ostapenko (world no. 47) in the final of the Roland Garros tennis tournament. In the semi-finals on Thursday evening, Halep defeated world no. 3 Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic in three sets. This is Haleps second Roland Garros final, having lost her first to Maria Sharapova in 2014. If she wins, Halep becomes world no. 1.




    FOOTBALL – The Romanian national football side face Poland today in Warsaw in a Group E match as part of the qualifiers for the World Cup hosted by Russia next year. In other group fixtures, Kazakhstan face Denmark and Montenegro face Armenia. Poland currently top the group with 13 points followed by Montenegro and Denmark, each with 8 points, Romania and Armenia, each with 6 points and Kazakhstan with 2 points.


    (Translated by Elena Enache)

  • The Week in Review, June 3-10

    The Week in Review, June 3-10

    The President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, on a visit to the US


    The highlight of the week in politics was the five-day official visit to the USA by the Romanian President, Klaus Iohannis. He is the first head of state from Central and Eastern Europe received by the US President Donald Trump since the latter took office. The entire visit revolved around strengthening the Strategic Partnership between the US and Romania, 20 years after it was signed. Security and defence are key elements of the Strategic Partnership, President Klaus Iohannis said at a debate in Washington hosted by the Heritage Foundation, a prestigious foreign policy strategy and analysis centre. He mentioned that Romania earmarked 2% of its GDP to defence, which makes it the 6th NATO member state to allot a substantial portion of its public budget to security.



    While discussing the current challenges in the international and regional security environment, the head of the Romanian state pointed to the need for a strategic and coherent approach, accompanied by the obligation to preserve unity, both inside the EU, and in the relationship between the EU and the US. He also mentioned the great importance of the economic and the inter-human aspects of the Romanian-American bilateral relations, and warned that the inclusion of Romania in the Visa Waiver programme, eagerly awaited by all Romanians, would be a catalyst for these aspects. During his meeting with representatives of the Romanian community in the US, President Iohannis voiced his appreciation for their integration in the American society, through hard work, talent and honesty, making a substantial contribution to the American economy and to strengthening the Strategic Partnership between the 2 countries.



    Working visit by PM of Romania Sorin Grindeanu to Paris


    This week the Prime Minister of Romania, Sorin Grindeanu, made a two-day working visit to Paris, where he had a meeting with his French counterpart Édouard Philippe. The talks focused on France’s support for Romania’s efforts to join the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. The agenda of also included talks on the Strategic Partnership between the two countries and the consolidation of the EU after Brexit.



    Sorin Grindeanu: “I have thanked for the support France is giving us in order to reach our goal of becoming an OECD member and we appreciate this, as we do appreciate all the support that France has given to Romania over the centuries. They have always been by our side, for instance, when we were trying to join NATO or the European Union. France is the country that support’s Romania’s OECD accession.”



    While in Paris, PM Grindeanu took part in the ceremony occasioned by Romania joining the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency, where he said integration in this body is an important step forward for the country’s nuclear energy industry. This accession is also an opportunity for Romanian experts to work with elite experts from countries with the highest nuclear energy standards, Sorin Grindeanu added.



    The Chamber of Deputies has passed the Unified Pay Bill


    The pay bill for public sector employees, backed by the left-wing government in Bucharest, has been passed by the Chamber of Deputies. Under the new law, state employees are to receive spaced-out pay-rises of up to 56% on an average in the following 4 years. The total sum of money earmarked for this project stands at 7 billion euros through which the government hopes to raise the employees’ standard of living. The law provides for a 25% pay rise as of January 1st 2018 for all public sector employees, while the medical and teaching staff is to receive the pledged difference as of March 1st. The Finance Ministry has given assurances on the budget’s sustainability. The unified pay bill has already sparked off discontent amid various categories of state employees. Bucharest and other major Romanian cities have already seen a series of protests staged by workers in the administration, local police, child protection services as well as in the unions from the country’s education system.



    Theatre and film in Transylvania A new edition of the International Theatre Festival, a major event of its kind, kicked off in Sibiu, central Romania, on Friday. For 10 days now roughly 70 thousand spectators are expected to watch over 500 performances and events. The entire city of Sibiu and some of its surroundings are to host performances during the festival, which brings together over 3 thousand artists and guests. The festival in Sibiu is renowned for its street performances. Another Transylvanian city, Cluj Napoca in northwestern Romania, is hosting until June 11, the 16th edition of the Transylvania International Film Festival TIFF 2017. Friday saw the screening of the 1981 French production “Pour la peau d’un flic”, which was also attended by its director and lead actor Alain Delon. The French actor, at his first visit to Romania, will be awarded a prize for his career. At the age of 81, Alain Delon’s film career spans over six decades. Over 12 hundred Romanian and foreign guests are attending the screenings, concerts, workshops and debates of Romania’s largest film festival, which has Radio Romania among its partners.

  • US-Romania Strategic Partnership

    US-Romania Strategic Partnership

    During a trip to the US, the Romanian Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos met Vice-president Joe Biden in Washington. The two officials discussed some of the main aspects on the bilateral agenda, while emphasising their shared interest in the consolidation of the Strategic Partnership, which forms the basis of Romanian-American cooperation. Ciolos and Biden expressed their satisfaction with the excellent level of security and defence cooperation and said there were good premises for its consolidation.



    Dacian Ciolos: “We have requested support from the United States and have been promised that we would be supported with respect to the consolidation of the Black Sea cooperation, more specifically high level navy cooperation. We have explained the actions we have already taken in cooperation with Bulgaria and Turkey, and have been given the promise that this Black Sea cooperation would be supported by NATO at the summit.



    Vice-president Biden emphasised that Romania has been and will remain a trusted partner and ally for the United States. He said there is mutual interest in tapping the significant potential for developing the economic cooperation. Bucharest has also requested support for a multinational brigade on Romanian territory, under the NATO umbrella, to strengthen the defence system of the south-eastern European flank.



    Vice-president Biden reiterated his countrys commitment to strengthen security and defence in the Euro-Atlantic area, both on a bilateral level and in the allied context. He welcomed Romanias active involvement in efforts to prevent and combat the security risks and challenges facing the North-Atlantic Alliance.



    Speaking about the preparations for the NATO Summit to be hosted by Warsaw in July, Prime Minister Ciolos highlighted the security and defence aspects of particular interest for Romania, and the countrys position vis-à-vis the main subjects to be discussed at the summit. The Prime Minister also spoke about the importance of developing economic ties, with an emphasis on the development of American investments in Romania.



    Dacian Ciolos: “We have the support of the White House in this respect, and this is something we have in fact discussed in Detroit, at the Ford headquarters, as well as with Commerce Secretary Pritzker. We have a roadmap supported by the US to develop financial instruments for small and medium sized companies and to improve the management of state-owned companies.



    Last but not least, the talks were an opportunity for Romania to tackle the Visa Waiver programme that would allow Romanian citizens to travel visa-free to the US. Prime Minister Ciolos said the two sides would work together to find a solution as soon as possible.