April 22, 2022

A roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 22.04.2022, 14:42

Visit. Romanian Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca has met in Bucharest today with the Ukrainian
Foreign Minister Dmitro Kuleba. The two analyzed the security situation in the
region following the Russian military aggression. The Prime Minister highlighted
the efforts made by authorities, together with civil society, volunteers and
international humanitarian organizations to support the more than 800,000
Ukrainian refugees who have entered Romania since the outbreak of the war.
Dmitro Kuleba gave an extensive presentation on the military situation on the
ground and thanked the Government of Bucharest and the Romanian citizens for all
the support and solidarity shown since the outbreak of the war. On his formal
visit to Bucharest, Dmitro Kuleba also spoke with his Romanian counterpart,
Bogdan Aurescu. The latter has stated that Romania strongly supports Ukraine’s
European prospects and is ready to be part of the reconstruction effort. War
is the moment of truth, when you see the true face of someone, and Romania has
shown its true face, the face of a friend. Not only did they speak, but they
acted. We will never forget this, said the Kyiv official. He congratulated the
Romanian Government, which has carried out a very smart policy since the
beginning of the Russian aggression, and thanked Romania for receiving the
Ukrainian refugees. Kuleba’s visit to
Bucharest comes after the one in Bulgaria, the country that refused to provide
military aid to Ukraine.

Ukraine. In a video message, Ukrainian President Volodymyr
Zelensky says that Russia has rejected a proposal for a truce over the Orthodox
Easter period this weekend, adding though that he still hopes there will be
peace. The Easter service begins on Saturday evening and lasts until Sunday
morning. Volodymyr Zelensky has also denied statements by the Kremlin leader
Vladimir Putin that the strategically vital port city of Mariupol fell to the
Russian military on Thursday. The city was surrounded by Russian troops shortly
after the Russian invasion began, was bombed and almost completely destroyed.
About 120,000 civilians were unable to leave Mariupol. Meanwhile, US President
Joe Biden has pledged $ 800 million in additional weapons to Ukraine and said
he would ask Congress for more money to help the Ukrainian military. On the
ground, Russian forces have occupied 42 villages in the eastern part of the
Donetsk region, according to a Ukrainian official, and are advancing towards
Kramatorsk, which continues to be hit by rockets. The mayor of Kharkov, the
second largest city in Ukraine, says the city is under heavy bombardment.
Moscow continues its offensive in Donetsk and Luhansk, trying to expand its
control in the eastern regions.

Refugees.
According to the Romanian Border Police,
more than 84 thousand people crossed Romania’s borders on Thursday, of whom
7,608 Ukrainian citizens (1.2% less than on the day before). 3,845 Ukrainians entered
Romania via the crossing points on the border with Ukraine, and 1,334 crossed
the border from Moldova. The border staff on mission in the border areas has
been supplemented. Also, an operative exchange of data and information is
ensured between all the relevant institutions.

Election. The election campaign has come to an end in France. Ahead of the second round of presidential elections scheduled for Sunday, the two candidates, incumbent President Emmanuel Macron and far-right leader Marine le Pen, had their final meetings with the electorate. According to the Radio Romania correspondent, Marine Le Pen went to the north, where she has the most loyal supporters and where she won the largest number of votes in the first round, as she didn’t want to risk meeting with potentially hostile voters. Instead, Emmanuel Macron visited an area in the immediate vicinity of Paris, where there are the so-called difficult neighborhoods, with a poor population, especially from African immigration, an electorate that voted en masse in the first round for the leader of the Radical Left Party Unsubmissive France, Jean-Luc Melenchon. They told the president right away the problems they are facing. The incumbent president continues to gain ground. According to an opinion poll commissioned by the daily Le Parisien, 57.5% of the French voters will give Macron their votes, and only 42.5% will vote for Marine Le Pen.

Book Fair. In Paris, the International
Book Fair opens its doors today, after two canceled editions due to the
coronavirus pandemic. The event returns in the form of a festival, with a new
concept, and the organizers expect about 100,000 visitors. The guest of honor
of this edition is India. Numerous meetings with writers, book launches are
scheduled for the next three days. Romania has its own stand, organized by the
Romanian Cultural Institute in Paris, where Radio Romania News is a media
partner.

Good Friday. For Orthodox Christians (majority in Romania) and Greek
Catholics, today is Good Friday. It is the day when Jesus Christ, the Son of
God, turned man, lived the most tragic of human experiences: death. He was
crucified between two robbers, accused of blasphemy and opposition to Roman
authority. According to the Gospel texts, while Jesus was dying on the cross,
the earth trembled and the sky got dark. After being taken down from the cross, Jesus
was placed in the tomb offered by Joseph of Arimathea, a wealthy man of the
time. The burial of Jesus is symbolized today by the placement of the Holy Epitaph
in the middle of the church and then by carrying it around the holy places.
This procession takes place at the evening mass. On Sunday, Orthodox and Greek Catholics will
celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus. More than 9,000 police officers will on
duty daily at national level, between April 22 and 25, to maintain public order
and safety, both in areas with a large influx of people and in the vicinity of
places of worship. (MI)