27 November 2016, UPDATE

Bucharest hosts final rehearsal for National Day military parade. / Romanian state secretary for global affairs Daniela Gitman attends Francophone Summit in Madagascar.

Newsroom, 27.11.2016, 18:47

National Day parade. Bucharest hosted on Sunday
a final rehearsal for the National Day military parade on the 1st of
December. More than 3,000 military and experts from the defence and interior
ministries and the Romanian Intelligence Service, as well as 300 pieces of
technical equipment, will take part in Thursday’s parade in Bucharest. This
year’s parade is special, as it comes amidst the 100th anniversary
of Romania’s joining the First World War. Defence minister Mihnea Motoc
mentioned some of the novelties this year, including the presentation of the
F-16 Fighting Flacon multirole aircraft, the new combat uniform of the Romanian
Army, the protective gear of the special operations forces, and the MEDEVAC
medical evacuation vehicles. The Romanian troops will be joined at the parade
by their counterparts from a number of allied and partners states such as the
UK, Italy, Germany, the Republic of Moldova, Poland, Slovakia, Spain and the
US. National Day events will take place throughout the country and abroad,
including in theatres of operation. Military and religious ceremonies will be
held, as well as meetings with army veterans and war veterans and exhibitions
of combat equipment and weapons.

Francophone Summit. The state secretary for
global affairs in the Romanian foreign ministry Daniela Gitman has attended the
Francophone Summit in the capital of Madagascar, Antananarivo. In her address,
the Romanian official emphasised the need to consolidate the position of the
International Organisation of La Francophonie in the political and economic
global governance and expanding its partnerships with other international
bodies, such as the United Nations. She also announced that in 2018 Bucharest
would host the Francophone economic forum for Central and Eastern Europe given
the 25th anniversary of Romania’s joining the International
Organisation of La Francophonie as a full-fledged member.

Supreme Defence Council meeting. The country’s
Supreme Defence Council will meet next Tuesday in Bucharest, the president’s
spokeswoman Madalina Dobrovolschi has announced. Talks will focus on the
measures taken by Romania to apply the sanctions adopted internationally for
the period October 2015 and September 2016. The Council will also discuss the
long and medium term strategy with respect to Romania’s relationship with the
Republic of Moldova, a neighbouring country with a majority Romanian-speaking
population. Other issues to be tackled include the plan for the deployment of
Romanian troops to foreign missions and operations in 2017 and the
implementation of the country’s national defence strategy for the 2015-2019
period.

Fidel Castro death. Cuba will observe 9 days
of national mourning in memory of Cuba’s revolutionary leader Fidel Castro, who
died on Friday at the age of 90. His funerals will take place on Sunday, 4th
of December in Santiago de Cuba, in the south. The death of Fidel Castro, who
led Cuba for almost five decades, sparked mixed international reactions. US
president Barack Obama said history will record and judge his enormous impact
on Cuba, while president elect Donald Trump described Castro as a brutal
dictator. The president of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker said
that with Castro’s death, the world has lost a
man who was a hero for many and that his legacy will be judged by history.
The head of the European Parliament Martin Schulz wrote that the former Cuban
leader left a mark in the history of Cuba, Latin America and in
world politics. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Fidel Castro will
be remembered for advances in Cuba in the fields of education, literacy and
health. The Russian and Chinese presidents said their countries have lost a
good friend.

Swiss referendum.
According to the preliminary results of a referendum held on Sunday in
Switzerland, voters rejected a proposal to make a strict timetable for phasing
out nuclear power, turning down a government plan to close down five nuclear
power plants. According to the BBC, despite the fact that many voters are
worried about the safety of the old nuclear facilities, the fears that their
swift closure may cause blackouts and electricity shortages were stronger. More
than a third of Switzerland’s electricity is supplied by nuclear power plants. (Transl. by C. Mateescu)