April 29, 2022 UPDATE

A roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 29.04.2022, 20:00

VISIT – President Klaus Iohannis on Friday met with Bulgarian Prime Minister Kirill Petkov, who paid a state visit to Romania. Talks focused on ways to improve the bilateral relation, the security developments generated by the Russian aggression in Ukraine and support for Ukraine, energy security, coordinating at regional and European level, also ahead of the NATO summit in Madrid. As regards economic cooperation, two-way trade reported significant growth in recent years, Romania being Bulgaria’s second-largest trade partner at European Union level. Previously, the Bulgarian official met with his Romanian counterpart, Nicolae Ciucă. The two also attended the ceremony marking the signing of the agreement for the opening of a ferry crossing on the Giurgiu-Ruse border. Prime Minister Kiril Petkov said Bulgaria and Romania’s accession to the Schengen Area remains a key priority for the two countries, adding that the European future of Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Georgia is equally a top priority.

PARLIAMENT – The Speaker of Romania’s Chamber of Deputies, Marcel Ciolacu, announced meetings in the forthcoming period between the leaders of the parliaments of Romania and the neighboring Republic of Moldova. A meeting may take place in Iaşi (northeastern Romania), near the Moldovan border, he added.

WAR IN UKRAINE – Ukrainian defense forces have taken special measures to strengthen security and protection on the border with the Republic of Moldova, more specifically alongside the border with the separatist region of Transnistria, the spokesman of the Ukrainian National Border Police announced. The Ukrainian official said the border checkpoints on the Moldovan border, as well as those on the border with Belarus and Russia, remain closed, as per the decision of Kyiv authorities. Meanwhile, fighting continues on the ground, with Russia stepping up its attacks in an attempt to gain full control over the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in eastern Ukraine, and to create a land corridor linking the two regions to Crimea, the Ukrainian General Staff reports. Moreover, the Russian army continues to block the Ukrainian troops in the port-city of Mariupol, who are trapped in the Azovstal steelworks. Moscow has also increased the number of drones dispatched to the Odessa Oblast in order to carry out air reconnaissance missions. Local officials say the Russians are conducting special psychological warfare operations in the area, trying to spread panic among the civilian population by promoting fake news and disinformation.

VETERANS DAY – Ceremonies were held on Friday in Romania and abroad marking Veterans Day. In Bucharest, the authorities paid floral tributes to the Heroes’ Monument, in a ceremony attended by Defense Minister, Vasile Dîncu, and the Chief of General Staff, General Daniel Petrescu. April 29 is a day of thanksgiving, of sacrifice and provides us with the opportunity of celebrating our war veterans, the Defense Minister said. In turn, Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă thanked war veterans for everything they have done for Romania and the Romanian people. He also referred to the conflict in Ukraine, pointing out that no one imagined that, seven decades after the end of WWII, peace in Europe would be threatened again.

EUROPAVOX – The French Institute in Bucharest, jointly with Europavox, organises a series of round tables, panel discussions and workshops entitled What’s Next for European Music on May 4 and 5. The participants will look at the music sector after the pandemic, opportunities in a new European framework, current financing opportunities in the EU, the European culture in solidarity with Ukraine, and digital communication in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic. The debates will be held in English. During the same period, artists from 6 European countries will perform in Bucharest as part of the first Europavox Festival edition held in Romania.

MAY DAY – The summer season officially begins this weekend in Romania. Hotel owners expect nearly 30,000 tourists to spend May Day on the Black Sea coast. Data centralized by a tour operator indicates that over 100 hospitality units are ready to receive their guests, with the resorts of Mamaia and Costineşti in the highest demand. (AMP & VP)