April 22, 2022 UPDATE
A roundup of domestic and international news
Newsroom, 22.04.2022, 22:05
Visit. On Friday, Romanian Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca and the Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba analysed 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 organisations to support the more than 800,000 Ukrainian refugees who have entered Romania since the outbreak of the war. Dmytro 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, Dmytro 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. We will never forget Romania’s help said Kuleba when asked about bilateral relations after the war, given that there are still issues between the two countries that must be resolved, such as education in Romanian for the ethnic Romanians in Ukraine. Dmytro Kuleba also met with the Romanian Defense Minister Vasile Dincu, who reiterated Romania’s solidarity with the Ukrainian people and its unconditional support for the country’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Ukraine. In a phone conversation on Friday, the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, asked the Russian president Vladimir Putin to guarantee humanitarian corridors, over the Orthodox Easter, in the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol, France Presse reports. The Russian troops say they are ready to observe a truce at any time at the Azovstal steel plant, the last stronghold of Ukrainian resistance in the city. The Russian Defense Ministry has given assurances that the evacuated civilians will be able to choose whether to go to the territories under Ukrainian control or those under Russian control and that the soldiers who surrender will be treated with dignity and the wounded will be cared for. On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin asked Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, in a discussion that was broadcast on Russian television, not to storm the Azovstal plant so as not to cause further casualties. Kiev has called for a humanitarian corridor to evacuate the 1,000 civilian refugees and 400-500 wounded Ukrainian soldiers inside the plant.
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 neighbourhoods, 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 opened its doors on Friday, after two canceled editions due to the coronavirus pandemic. This year the event is based on 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. Orthodox Christians (majority in Romania) and Greek Catholics commemorated Good Friday, 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. On Sunday, Orthodox and Greek Catholics will celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus. (MI)
