July 29, 2022 UPDATE

A roundup of local and international news.

Newsroom, 29.07.2022, 19:42

Visit. The
president of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu, on Friday travelled to Romania
at the invitation of her counterpart Klaus Iohannis. At the press conference
following the official meeting, the Romanian president said the talks were
solid and focused on many topics of bilateral interest, taking into account the
long-lasting and sincere connections between the two countries. He
congratulated Maia Sandu on Moldova’s EU accession candidate status granted at
the European Council meeting on June 23-24. This is a historic achievement, a
landmark in the history of the country, Klaus Iohannis said, and added that
Romania will continue to support Moldova through all the means available to it.
The two presidents also agreed to take decisive steps in terms of
inter-connecting the electricity networks of their countries, and discussed the
potential of the Iaşi-Ungheni-Chişinău pipeline as a vital element of Moldova’s
energy security. The president of Moldova Maia Sandu said Bucharest stood by
Chisinau over the years, and Romania’s voice was heard strongly in Brussels in
support of Moldova’s EU candidate status. Maia Sandu voiced her confidence that
the Moldovan-Romanian partnership will contribute to overcoming the
difficulties caused by the war in Ukraine.

Anthem. Every
year on July 29 Romania celebrates National Anthem Day. According to the
defence ministry, ceremonies were held on Friday in all military units across
the country. In Bucharest, a religious service was held in front of the
National Military Palace, while in Râmnicu Vâlcea the local authorities organised
events devoted to the song Awaken Thee, Romanian!, which was first
performed officially in this town 174 years ago. National Anthem Day was
proclaimed by Parliament in 1998. The song was written by Anton Pann, on lyrics
by the poet Andrei Mureşanu. The message of the National Anthem has a strong
impact, and calls for national unity, courage, dignity and responsibility,
president Klaus Iohannis said in a statement. Prime minister Nicolae Ciucă said
the anthem, the national colours and the coat of arms define the identity of
the Romanian nation and signify the strong connection between the past, the present
and the future.

Refugees. The first multicultural
centre for people affected by the war in Ukraine opened in Bucharest, providing
children and adults in difficulty with hot meals, healthcare services and
Romanian language courses. Inaugurated by the Romanian Red Cross, with the
support of the South Korean Red Cross, the centre is open every day from 10 am to
6 pm, with access being made based on appointment. According to the UN Refugee
Agency, some 88,000 displaced persons from Ukraine are present in Romania.

Grain. This year’s wheat harvest is
sufficient to ensure Romania’s consumption demand and part of it may even be
exported, said the agriculture minister Petre Daea. He did not provide precise
figures, saying he did not wish to influence the market, but said however that
the yield is lower than last year’s. He said the wheat is in storage and the
quality of the harvest is generally good. Romania has been badly hit by drought
this summer.

Covid-19. Fewer
Covid cases were reported on Friday compared with the previous day. Of the
8,800 new cases, 1,600 were recorded in Bucharest. 4,000 Covid patients are
receiving hospital treatment, including 266 in intensive care. 28 related
deaths were also reported on Friday.

Football. All
the Romanian football teams taking part in the European Conference League
qualifiers have advanced into the 3rd preliminary round. On Thursday,
Universitatea Craiova defeated the Albanian side Vllaznia 3-0 on home turf,
after a 1-1 draw in the first leg. In the 3rd preliminary round, Craiova will
play against the Ukrainian team Zaria Luhansk. In Bucharest, FCSB defeated the
Georgian side Saburtalo 4-2, and are next facing the Slovakian team Dunajská
Streda. The Romanian Cup winners Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe had the most difficult
match on Thursday, against Olimpija Ljubljana of Slovenia, and lost 2-0, away
from home, after having won 3-1 in the first leg. In the penalty shootouts, the
Slovenians missed twice, and Sepsi advanced to the next stage of the
competition. Their next opponent is Djurgården from Sweden. On Wednesday, CFR
Cluj drew 1-1 away from home against Inter Club d’Escaldes, of Andorra, after
3-0 at home, and will next be playing the Belarusian champions Shakhtyor
Soligorsk. (CM)