April 14, 2014
News and current affairs from Romania
Ştefan Stoica, 14.04.2014, 11:59
Romania’s chief diplomat, Titus Corlatean, joins the other EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg for their regular meeting. The agenda will be dominated by the Ukraine situation, including the recent developments in the east of Romania’s northern neighbor. On Sunday night, in a televised interview, President Traian Basescu said he found perfectly natural the attempt made by the Kiev authorities to restore order in the east, where pro-Russian armed activists have occupied administrative buildings.
The pro-European government in Kier struggles to regain control of the Russian speaking east of Ukraine, where armed pro-Russian groups threaten to take over control and break up the country. On Sunday, the Ukrainian authorities have initiated anti-terrorist activities against coordinated attacks by armed groups with no official insignia. Interim president Oleksandr Turchinov promised insurgents immunity if they surrendered their weapons and left peacefully the state buildings they have occupied in the last few days. Russia, accused by the west of instigating the insurrection, told Kiev to stop waging war against its own people, and called an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council. The EU called on Russia to observe Ukraine’s territorial integrity and pull back the troops massed at the border, desisting from all destabilizing activities in that country. NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said he was deeply concerned by the escalation of tensions in this situation, and warned Russia against any military intervention.
Romanian President Traian Basescu on Monday visits the US destroyer Donald Cook, which is on a four-day stopover in the Romanian main port of Constanta, part of the 2014 annual international activation for the Romanian naval forces. Between Monday and Thursday, American and Romanian seamen will be running training activities in Romanian territorial waters and international waters in the Black Sea. The mission of the destroyer, as announced by the US Department of Defense, is to offer guarantees to NATO allies and Black Sea partners. The Arleigh Burke class destroyer uses the state of the art AEGIS detection and coordination system, and has anti-air, anti-missile, anti-submarine and land attack capabilities, and is upgraded for anti-ballistic defense.
2014 is decisive for the future of Moldova, and Romania believes in Moldova’s European aspirations, said Valeriu Zgonea, chairman of Romania’s lower chamber of parliament, while on a visit to Chisinau. He met his counterpart from Moldova, Igor Corman, and his counterpart from the Czech Republic, Jan Hamacek. At the same time, Zgonea praised the progress made by the authorities in Chisinau towards European integration, emphasizing the successful negotiation of the Association Agreement, which is soon to be signed. The Czech parliamentarian reaffirmed his country’s support of Moldova’s European orientation, pointing out that social unity is needed to see this project through.
The documentary ‘The Square’, a US-Egypt joint production, directed by Jehane Noujaim, won the Cinepolitica trophy at the Bucharest International Film Festival. The movie was nominated at the Oscars for Best Documentary, and tells the story of young people in Egypt struggling for their rights in the face of serious obstacles. The award for best political movie went to the Brazilian film Neighboring Sounds, directed by Kleber Mendonca Filho. An honorable mention went to the Ukraine-France-Georgia-Armenia production Paradjanov, directed by Serge Avedikian and Olena Fetisova.
