April 3, 2017 UPDATE
Moldova signs controversial memorandum of cooperation with the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union.
Newsroom, 03.04.2017, 19:45
MESSAGE – The Romanian Foreign Ministry conveyed a message of condolences to the families of the people killed in the blast on the St. Petersburg metro on Monday. The message was posted on the Ministry’s Twitter page. An explosion tore through a train as it was travelling between two stations in Russias second-biggest city, killing over ten people and injuring dozens more. A second device was found and defused at another station. No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack.
MEMORANDUM – The Republic of Moldodva has signed a controversial memorandum of cooperation with the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union. Moldova’s President, the pro-Russian Igor Dodon, signed the document on behalf of his country, saying it was the first step towards strengthening economic cooperation with the East. Dodon also said the memorandum did not contradict previous accords signed by his country, such as the Association Agreement with the EU. On the other hand, Moldova’s PM, Pavel Filip, has recently said that the memorandum will have no legal value as it lacks the approval of the Foreign Ministry and has not been ratified by Parliament.
MINISTERS — Two new ministers, namely the Environment Minister and the Minister for the Liaison with Parliament, were sworn in on Monday. The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, a junior coalition partner in the Government led by Social-Democrat Sorin Grindeanu, nominated Gratiela Gavrilescu for the position of Environment Minister and Deputy Prime Minister. Replacing Gavrilescu as the new Minister for Liaison with Parliament will be Viorel Ilie, also nominated by the Liberals and Democrats. One week ago the party leadership decided to withdraw political support for the party co-president, Daniel Constantin, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Environment, amidst tensions between him and the other co-president, Senate Speaker Calin Popescu-Tarcieanu.
BORDER POLICE — The Romanian border police announced it would strengthen border control checks starting Friday. The documents of all people crossing the border will be cross-checked in national and international databases, therefore the authorities expect waiting times to spike. According to a press release, on April 7 the authorities will implement an amendment brought to the Schengen Borders Code, adopted by the European Parliament and the European Council, aimed at improving the security of the EU and its citizens. The Romanian border police says all measures have been taken to reduce waiting times and ensure functional border checks and is making efforts to ensure a balance between the security of citizens and border crossing flows.
ELECTION IN SERBIA — The acting Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic on Sunday won the presidential election in Serbia. According to the Serbian Election Commission, Vucic grabbed over 55% of the vote, while the runner-up, current Ombudsman Sasa Jankovic, won only 15% of the vote. Seen as the new strongman of Serbian politics, Vucic is an ultranationalist turned pro-European Democrat. He pledged to support Serbia’s efforts to join the EU as well as maintain privileged relations with Russia. EU Commissioner for Enlargement, Johannes Hahn, has congratulated the president elect, whom he called a partner and a friend.
MILITARY DRILL — Three Romanian warships carrying 200 military onboard and three Turkish warships are taking part in the “Starfish” bilateral military exercise. The exercise is aimed at increasing interoperability between Romanian and Turkish naval forces. While docking in the port of Constanta, the Turkish military will also bring floral tributes to the Cemetery of Turkish War Heroes in Slobozia, southern Romania, and will visit the Museum of the Romanian Navy.
PROTESTS — The Moscow Police on Sunday arrested 30 people taking part in an anticorruption rally, the latest after last week’s large-scale protests. Radio Romania’s correspondent reports that opposition leader Aleksei Navalny, the organizer of last week’s protests, who was already placed under 15-day arrest for resisting arrest, says he is in no way connected to the latest protest. According to the Police, a thousand people protested on Sunday as compared to the nearly 100,000 people who protested on March 26. On Friday, several dozen Romanians protested before the Russian Embassy building in Bucharest, as a token of solidarity with the anticorruption protests in Russia.
(Translated by Elena Enache)
