December 6, 2022

A roundup of local and international news.

Newsroom, 06.12.2022, 13:55

Summit. President Klaus Iohannis is
today attending the EU-Western Balkans summit hosted by Albania’s capital
Tirana. According to a statement from the president’s office, this is the first
event of its kind held in a capital in the region, which once again shows the European
commitment to the states in the Western Balkans. A declaration will be adopted
at the summit to reflect the support of the European Union and of member states
to the European prospects of the Western Balkans. The Romanian president is
expected to state his country’s support for EU enlargement based on the
applicants’ merits, and to discuss the need to consolidate partners’ resilience
and European support in sectors such as energy, digital transformation, cyber
security and migration management.

Envelope. Two suspicious envelopes
received today by the Ukrainian embassy in Bucharest were collected and will be
checked, said the Romanian Intelligence Service. Recently, Ukrainian embassies in
various countries have been receiving a series of parcels and letters
containing explosives and animal parts. On Monday, the Spanish police
confiscated three more suspicious parcels sent to Ukrainian diplomats at a post
office, said the Ukrainian foreign ministry.

Ban. The ban on Russian crude oil that came into
effect yesterday will not affect Romania, given that Romanian oil companies
have found alternative sources and are no longer importing from Russia, said
energy minister Virgil Popescu. He added that Romania’s oil companies and
refineries have already been processing only non-Russian crude oil from as
early as last week.

Fair. The 29th edition of
the Gaudeamus Book Fair organised by Radio Romania is getting under way
tomorrow in Bucharest. The event brings together 200 participants and a variety
of editorial products on different formats, for all ages and areas of interest,
including music and educational games. The line-up features 600 different
events and related projects. All stands are also available online on the
gaudeamus.ro website. The fair is financed by the ministry of culture.

Holiday. Christians are today celebrating the Feast Day of St. Nicholas, one of the most popular saints and bringer of gifts for children. St. Nicholas was a bishop who lived at the beginning of the 4th century in Myra, in present-day Turkey and was known as a generous man. Most of his relics are in Bari, in Italy, while part of his hand is preserved in the New St. George Church in Bucharest. Around 800,000 Romanians are named after the saint. (CM)