April 12, 2014 UPDATE
A look at the main stories in Romania today.
România Internațional, 12.04.2014, 13:30
The expansion of the bilateral Strategic Partnership in the political, military and security areas was one of the issues discussed on Friday in Washington by the Romanian state secretary for strategic affairs Bogdan Aurescu during talks with US officials. According to a foreign ministry release, Aurescu argued in favour of an increased US and NATO presence on the NATO eastern flank, including Romania, amid worrying developments in the region. Also, Romania stood in favour of expanding military cooperation with the United States. The biggest strategic project in the history of bilateral relations, the construction of a US missile defence system in Deveselu, in southern Romania, is under way, with the base expected to become operational in 2015.
The Romanian Orthodox Church on Sunday held a number of processions ahead of Palm Sunday, which is celebrated one week before Easter. The feast commemorates Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem, where he was welcomed by people carrying olive branches. In Bucharest, around 10,000 people took part in a pilgrimage held by the Romanian Patriarchal See. As Palm Sunday is this year celebrated at the same time by both the Orthodox and the Catholic communities, the Roman-Catholic Archbishopric also held its own procession in Bucharest. On Palm Sunday, the Catholic Church also celebrates World Youth Day initiated by Pope John Paul II in 1985.
Romania participates in the International Fair for Tourism and Leisure hosted by the Moldovan capital Chisinau until Sunday. In 2013, Romania was the third most sought after foreign destination for Moldovan citizens according to the National Office for Statistics. Starting on the 28th of April, the citizens of the Republic of Moldova will no longer need visas to travel to 26 European countries.
The no. 1 seed Romanian-Dutch pair made up of Horia Tecau and Julien Roger on Saturday win the ATP tennis doubles tournament in Casablanca worth 485,000 euros in prize money. In the finals, they defeated the Polish-Cezch pair Tomasz Bednarek and Lukas Dlouhy in straight sets. Tecau and Roger thus won 250 ATP points. Casablanca is Horia Tecau’s 18th doubles title in his career.
