December 1, 2022 UPDATE

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Newsroom, 01.12.2022, 20:00

NATIONAL DAY Romania celebrated on Thursday 104 years since the Great
Union of December 1, 1918. In the capital city Bucharest, over 1,500 troops and
staff of the defence ministry, interior ministry, the Romanian Intelligence
Service, the Special Telecommunications Service and the Penitentiary Agency as
well as vehicles and 40 aircraft took part in a military parade. Ceremonies were
also organised abroad, where Romanian troops are deployed. National Day events were
also held elsewhere in the country and abroad. The Romanian Cultural Institute
organises 50 events until December 10, to celebrate National
Day in 31 cities in the world. Romania’s national day has been celebrated on December 1 since 1990.
On this day in 1918, the National Assembly in Alba Iulia adopted a resolution
regarding the union of all provinces inhabited by Romanians.

MESSAGES Romanians need tangible and immediate progress to improve
their living standards and wellbeing, president Klaus Iohannis said, and urged
the authorities to use all the instruments they have available to this goal. At
a reception given on National Day, he also emphasised that Romania is a pillar
of security in a geopolitical area marked by uncertainty, and a stable country
that has made significant progress in recent years. Let us prove that December
1 is truly the day of our unity, the PM Nicolae Ciucă said in a message on
National Day. Today, just like at the end of the First World War, the main
topics on the national agenda are security, stability and the modernisation of
Romania. Unlike in 1918, today we have European funds for reforms and
development and the protection provided by NATO, the most powerful military
alliance in history, the PM posted on Facebook on Thursday. On behalf of the
United States of America, I congratulate the people of Romania as you celebrate
Great Union Day, and I wish them a very happy national day, the US
secretary of state Antony Blinken also said in a message on this occasion. The
US official emphasised that 2022 is a special year, as it marks the
25th anniversary of the Strategic Partnership between the U.S. and Romania. The
Ukrainian foreign ministry also sent a message congratulating the Romanian
people and calling for unity for peace and solidarity in Europe.

VISIT The president of Romania Klaus Iohannis will be on an official
visit to Greece on Friday and Saturday. He will have meetings with his Greek
counterpart, Katerina Sakellaropoulou, and with the PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
According to the Presidency, the agenda will include talks about the potential
for development of the two countries’ relations in the economic and investment
sectors, as well as in culture, education, civil protection and tourism.
Special attention will be paid to infrastructure and inter-connection projects,
including in the energy sector, in order to minimize the dependence on Russian
natural gas and to improve Romania’s and Greece’s energy security.

SCHENGEN The Justice and Home Affairs Council included on the agenda of its
December 8-9 meeting topics related to the Schengen area. Specifically, the EU
justice and interior ministers will discuss the full application of the
Schengen acquis in Bulgaria, Croatia and Romania, which seek admission in the
passport-free travel area. Romania has been trying to join Schengen for more than 10 years. European
Commission experts found that Bucharest meets all EU border security standards.
Romania’s accession will increase Europe’s security, rather than be a danger
for the member states, Bucharest has repeatedly assured the few countries that
are still reluctant to the idea.

UNESCO The Inter-Governmental Committee for the Safeguarding of
the Intangible Cultural Heritage, convening in Rabat, Morocco, decided to
include the file The Art of the Traditional Blouse with Embroidery on the
Shoulder (Altiță) – an Element of Cultural Identity of Romania and the Republic
of Moldova in the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural
Heritage of Humanity. The announcement was made on Thursday by the MP Ana-Maria
Cătăuţă, chair of the parliament’s special committee for UNESCO. The Romanian
blouse, as everybody knows it, […] is one of the identity elements that give us
strength and power, the Deputy Ana-Maria Cătăuţă said in a news release.

OSCE The Romanian
foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu took part on Thursday in a meeting of the
Ministerial Council of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe,
held in Lodz, Poland. The Romanian diplomacy chief condemned the atrocities
committed by Russia against Ukrainian civilians and civilian infrastructure.
The Romanian official reiterated the call for Moscow to immediately and
unconditionally end its military aggression and to pull out its troops and
equipment from Ukraine. Mr. Aurescu also spoke about the bilateral and
international support for the R. of Moldova, heavily affected by the war in Ukraine. (AMP)