February 12, 2015 UPDATE
Click here for a roundup of domestic and international news
Roxana Vasile, 12.02.2015, 12:15
During the European Council proceedings in Brussels, Romanian president Klaus Iohannis on Thursday held talks with his Ukrainian counterpart Petro Poroshenko. According to official sources, discussions focused on bilateral relations and regional issues. At the beginning of the summit, focusing on the anti-terrorist fight and the situation in Greece, the Romanian president held a brief talk with German chancellor Angela Merkel. President Iohannis has also discussed with French president Francoise Hollande, British Prime Minister David Cameron, the Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, with the president of the European Council Donald Tusk and with the president of the European Parliament Martin Schulz. Also on Thursday Iohannis met Joseph Daul, president of the European People’s Party with whom he talked about the present geopolitical situation in the context of the peace talks in Minsk. Issues related to Romania’s domestic policy, in the first months since president Iohannis took office, were also tackled during the discussions.
Romanian foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu on Thursday reiterated in Tbilisi Romania’s staunch support for Georgia’s aspiration of Euro-Atlantic integration and highlighted the progress made by that country in its relation with NATO. Aurescu’s statement was part of the speech he delivered at the international seminar on Georgia’s yearly NATO-accession programme, which he attended for the third year in a row. Also on Thursday Aurescu attended a working meeting with members of the Romanian team part of the EU monitoring mission in Georgia. Romania is the main European contributor to this civil mission with 38 monitors. Georgia is also Romania’s main trade partner in southern Caucasus.
Romanian president Klaus Iohannis has posted on Facebook a message saying he would have expected the senators to approve his request for commencing legal prosecution against former Liberal Minister of the Economy Varujan Vosganian, accused of setting up an organized crime ring, abuse in office and conspiracy to committing embezzlement. According to the Romanian president, the vote in the higher chamber of Parliament — which stopped prosecutors in their tracks — shows that the need for change, for which he stood repeatedly, has not been understood. According to the president, there should be only one attitude when it comes to implementing justice: respect for the law, irrespective of the people involved or their positions. Also on Thursday, the Senate endorsed the request for the criminal proceedings against another former economy minister, Democrat-Liberal Ion Ariton, accused of abuse in office and peddling in influence with a view to obtaining undue benefits.
Romanian tennis player Monica Niculescu has been eliminated 4-6, 6-0, 6-2 by Spanish Carla Suarez Navarro in the eighth finals of the Antwerp tennis tournament in Belgium with 700 thousand dollars in prize money. Romanian Simona Halep, seeded second after the odds-on favourite Serena Williams, and Monica Niculescu also from Romania, will be playing in the WTA Premier tournament in Dubai with two million dollars up for grabs, which is due to kick off on Monday. Another Romanian player, Alexandra Dulgheru, ranking 95th in the world standings, is playing in the qualifiers.
