August 17, 2019 UPDATE

Climber Torok Zsolt, 45, found dead in Fagaras Mountains; Romania to host 10 migrants from Malta

Newsroom, 17.08.2019, 19:13

VISIT The head of the Romanian state, Klaus Iohannis, will be on an official visit to Washington D.C. on August 19 and 20, at the invitation of the US president, Donald J. Trump. The 2 leaders will have a meeting on August 20, to discuss ways to strengthen and further develop the strong and dynamic strategic partnership between Romania and the US, in all its components. The Romanian president will emphasise on this occasion that his country will remain a reliable ally and strategic partner of the USA, one of the priorities of Romanias foreign policy being to consolidate the trans-Atlantic relation and Euro-Atlantic security. Klaus Iohannis said he also intended to talk to Donald J. Trump about the American troops in Romania and about the countrys capacity to host more US troops. The issue of US visa requirements for Romanian citizens will also be approached. Meanwhile, according to the White House, the US president looks forward to celebrating the 30th year since the fall of communism and the 15th year of Romanias NATO membership with president Iohannis. Klaus Iohannis and Donald Trump previously met at the White House in 2017, when they discussed the prospects for deepening and broadening the Strategic Partnership between Romania and the US.

CLIMBER One of the best known Romanian climbers, Torok Zsolt, (45) was found dead on Saturday near Negoiu Peak in Fagaras Mountains, central Romania, the Sibiu mountain rescue service announced. Torok Zsolt broke several records in Romanian and world climbing. In 2016, Torok Zsolt climbed 5 Himalayan peaks, 3 of them accompanied by Vlad Căpuşan. They made the first ever ascent of Peak 5, in Makalu region, a 6.421m top that had not been climbed since the opening of the route in 2003. In 2013, Torok Zsolt was the leader of the Romanian team that climbed the 8.126m Nanga Parbat, which is still the most notable achievement in Romanian mountain climbing.

MIGRANTS The Romanian authorities, alongside several other EU member states, have agreed to receive some of the nearly 150 migrants on board of the Spanish humanitarian vessel Open Arms, off the Italian island of Lampedusa. According to a news release issued by the Romanian Foreign Ministry, the agreement concerns the relocation of 10 people from Malta. The decision proves Romanias willingness to contribute to the solidarity efforts in such situations, and concerns vulnerable people, who need protection. The response poses no pressure on the Romanian asylum system, reads the release. Bucharest says there have been other similar situations this year, and Romania has responded to 3 such calls coming from the European Commission, namely 2 from Italy for 10 people, and one from Malta for 5 people in need of protection. Eleven of these have reached the country so far.

FILM ‘Ivana the Terrible, Ivana Mladenovics second feature film, has won the special prize of the jury in the Cineasti del Presente section of the Locarno Film Festival, which came to an end on Saturday. The section is devoted to directors at their first, second or third films. ‘Ivana the Terrible, a Romanian-Serbian co-production, is an unconventional story about people and places, based on an event in the directors life. Ivana Mladenovic was born in 1984, in Serbia, she went to law school in Belgrade and then moved to Romania. She made several shorts and documentaries awarded in international festivals, and is best known for her debut feature, ‘Soldiers. A story from Ferentari’.

ACTOR The American actor Peter Fonda, son of Henry Fonda and brother to Jane Fonda, died at the age of 79, in Los Angeles (USA), after battling lung cancer. He shot to fame after playing in the 1969 cult classic Easy Rider. In 1971 he directed his first film, “The Hired Hand, in which he also played the lead role. He had an Oscar nomination for best actor, in “Ulee’s Gold, 1998, which also won a Golden Globe. His last film, The Last Full Measure, featuring Samuel L. Jackson, Morgan Freeman and Laurence Fishburne, is scheduled for release in late October in the US.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)