April 16, 2025 UPDATE

A roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 16.04.2025, 19:55

DASP.25 Approximately 4,000 soldiers and 913 technical assets from 10 allied countries (Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Italy, Luxembourg, North Macedonia, Poland, Portugal and Romania) will participate, between May 5 and 23, in the multinational exercise DACIAN SPRING 2025 (DASP 25), organized on Romanian territory. The exercise is planned and led by the Command of the Multinational Division South-East (HQ MND-SE) and will take place simultaneously in several training ranges. DASP 25 is attended by structures belonging to all categories of forces of the Romanian Army – land, air, naval, and cyber, along with personnel from the Multinational Brigade South-East and contingents of allies. The main goal of the exercise is to practice a collective defense operation and strengthen the integration of the participating forces into the command and control architecture of HQ MND-SE. For the first time, a Belgian maneuver battalion will be deployed on Romanian territory.

OECD. Last year, Romania provided official development assistance totaling 587 million dollars, the highest level to date, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development reported on Wednesday, quoted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The main beneficiary of the assistance provided by Romania last year was the Republic of Moldova, with a percentage of over 50% of the total bilateral official development assistance actions ($76.6 million). Romania’s constant cooperation with Ukraine, the Western Balkans, Africa and the Middle East continued in 2024, in accordance with the objectives established by the Multiannual Strategic Program on International Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Assistance 2024-2027. Romania also contributed to the effort to mitigate the effects of the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, acting in close coordination with its international partners for the evacuation and provision of specialized medical treatment for Palestinian civilians in hospitals in Romania.

NATO. The efforts of US president Donald Trump for a general ceasefire in Ukraine are not easy, said NATO secretary general Mark Rutte, who made a surprise visit to Odessa, in the south of Ukraine. He condemned Russia’s “terrible pattern” of attacks against Ukrainian civilians, after the Russian army killed 35 civilians, including children, in Sumy, in the north-east. Mark Rutte said NATO would continue to support Ukraine. On Tuesday, Rutte travelled to Chişinău for talks with Moldova’s president Maia Sandu about the cooperation between the Republic of Moldova and NATO based on a new individual Partnership for Peace programme adopted at the start of the year by the Moldovan government.

Easter. The Holy Fire from Jerusalem will be brought over to Romania on Saturday evening by the superior of the Settlements of the Romanian Patriarchate in the Holy Places, archimandrite Teofil Anăstăsoaie, and will be offered to the delegations of bishoprics from around the country. Later, the flame will arrive in the homes of all Romanians who wish to receive it. The tradition of bringing the Holy Fire to Romania was first introduced in 2009 by the head of the Romanian Orthodox Church, patriarch Daniel. The Orthodox Church considers the Holy Fire as one of its greatest miracles, saying it appears spontaneously above the Holy Tomb in Jerusalem on the eve of Easter, between 12.30 pm, and 2.30 pm. The flame is received by the patriarch of Jerusalem, who then proceeds to distribute it among the priests and believers in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The whole of the Christian world is this year celebrating Easter on 20th April.

Mini-holiday. Over 24,000 employees of the Romanian Ministry of the Interior will ensure, during the Easter mini-holiday, the smooth flow of traffic, rapid intervention in emergency situations, the prevention and combating of illegal acts and the saving of lives. The staff of the Ministry of Interior will also pay attention to places of worship, where religious services will be organized. Approximately 5,000 firefighters will be prepared to intervene daily to limit the effects of emergency situations and provide first medical aid. 12 SMURD aircraft are available these days. Over 1,600 traffic police officers will pay attention to congested roads where the risk of accidents will be high.