April 4, 2022
A round up of local and international news.
România Internațional, 04.04.2022, 13:55
Ukraine. Images from Bucha and other Ukrainian cities reminder the whole world that this illegal aggression must be stopped and those found responsible must pay, said Romanian president Klaus Iohannis in response to what Ukraine described as war crimes committed by the Russian military in towns around the capital Kyiv. Romanian prime minister Nicolae Ciuca and foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu also called for these crimes to be brought before the international justice system. Ukrainian authorities said hundreds of civilian bodies were recovered and that almost 300 people had been buried in mass graves in Bucha. They accused the Russian army of committing a massacre. Russia denied the accusations saying the images are fake.
Address. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky will today address Romanias Parliament by video call, has announced the speaker of the Romanian Senate Florin Cîţu. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine on 24th February, Zelensky spoke to the Parliaments of a number of countries, including the UK, Canada, the US and Germany. He also addressed the European Parliament and NATO and European Union leaders.
Talks. Romanian foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu is today having political consultations with his Estonian counterpart Eva-Maria Liimets, who is travelling to Bucharest at Aurescus invitation. The two ministers are attending a conference to discuss the Russian aggression against Ukraine and how to build a more resilient NATO eastern flank, from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea. Talks also are looking at ways to further develop bilateral ties, in particular economic and sectoral cooperation and to expand cooperation within regional alliances the two states are both part of, such as the Three Seas Initiatives and the Bucharest Nine. The two officials are also expected to inaugurate an exhibition to celebrate the 100 years of bilateral relations between Romania and Estonia.
Measures. The ruling coalition in Bucharest is meeting this week to discuss a package of social measures for people with low incomes. The leader of the Social Democratic Party Marcel Ciolacu is proposing granting 50-euro worth food vouchers every two months and 30-euro worth vouchers for school children from low-income families to buy school supplies, clothing or food. The Social Democrats say the cost of these vouchers may be covered by European funds. The National Liberal Party, also in the ruling coalition, agrees with the idea of food vouchers and says it would even like to double the sums and grant them for a longer period. The ruling coalition is also planning to finalise the offshore bill this week, to unblock the exploitation of natural gas from the Black Sea.
Mountain climbing. Romanian mountain climbers Horia Colibăşanu and Marius Gane are on Tuesday embarking on an expedition to climb the Himalayas Kanchenjunga peak, the third highest mountain in the world, at 8,586 m. This is the first Romanian ascent of this mountain, and the only peak of over 8,000 m still to be climbed by a Romanian climber. Horia Colibăşanu had a first attempt ten years ago, but was forced to abandon 100 metres before reaching the top. He has already climbed 8 peaks of over 8,000 m in altitude and is the only Romanian to reach K2, Annapurna and Dhaulagiri, three of the most dangerous mountains in the world. (CM)
