February 16, 2022
A roundup of domestic and international news
Newsroom, 16.02.2022, 13:52
Covid-19Ro. 17,447 news cases of Covid-19 have been registered in the past 24 hours, as well as 183 related deaths, of which 12 from the previous reporting timeframe, the Strategic Communication Group has announced today. Since the start of the pandemic two years ago, more than 2.5 million cases of Covid-19 have been registered in Romania, and approximately 62 thousand infected people have died. The country has the second lowest vaccination rate in the EU, after Bulgaria.
Ukraine. The current security crisis is not just about Ukraine and European security, but about Euro-Atlantic security as a whole, Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu said today before the Foreign Policy Committees of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies. Aurescu has also said that “there are no signs yet” that the de-escalation of the security situation in the Black Sea is “really” happening. It is very important that the diplomatic efforts continue, it is equally extremely important that this de-escalation takes place concretely on the ground, Aurescu stressed. The minister has also announced that the procedure has been completed for returning to Romania the family members of diplomatic staff of the Romanian embassy in Kiev (central Ukraine) ) and from the consulate general in Odessa. The other two consular missions, which are in Solotvino in Transcarpathia and Chernivtsi in northern Bukovina, both in western Ukraine, were not covered by the measure, as they are located in regions with a higher degree of security – the minister said.
The Sahel. Romanian President Klaus Iohannis is taking part today in Paris, at the invitation of his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, in an informal working dinner on the security situation in the Sahel. Countries in the region and their international partners, engaged in the fight against terrorist groups, will discuss security developments on the ground, continuing the long-term partnership to meet together the challenges posed by the terrorist threat. According to a statement from the Presidential Administration, the head of state will reiterate Romanias firm commitment to the security of the Sahel region, materialized by the countrys participation in EU and UN missions in the region, and the decision to take part in the Takuba Force. The participants will discuss the future of this mission, in the context of the recent security developments in the Sahel. After the working dinner in Paris, the President of Romania will go to Brussels, where he will participate, on Thursday and Friday, in the sixth European Union-African Union summit.
NATO. The Romanian Minister of Defense, Vasile Dîncu, is attending a two-day meeting of the NATO foreign ministers in Brussels. According to the Ministry of National Defense, the meeting is an important milestone in the preparation of the decisions that will be adopted by the leaders of the allied states at the Madrid Summit due on June 29 and 30. The debates will address the security situation caused by Russias aggressive behavior in the vicinity of NATOs eastern flank and the implications for Euro-Atlantic security. Tomorrow, the Allies will have a meeting with partners from Georgia and Ukraine, where they will express their political support for these two aspiring states. On the sidelines of the meeting, Minister Dîncu will participate in the signing ceremony of Romanias letter of accession to the NATO Air Battle Decisive Ammunition (ABDM) project, developed by the NATO Defense Investment Division (IS-DI).
Government. The government in Bucharest has gathered in session to discuss, among other things, several emergency ordinances intended to support small and medium enterprises severely affected during the two years of the pandemic. A draft emergency ordinance will ensure that companies severely affected by the current economic situation have access to a new financing instrument that will allow them to resume their activities. This state aid scheme has been approved at EU level. Its the Romanian-Swiss program for SMEs that finances this sector. Another draft GEO aims to amend and supplement the Law on Stimulating the Establishment and Development of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises.
Tennis. Two Romanians, Simona Halep (23 WTA) and Elena-Gabriela Ruse (59 WTA), are playing against each other today, in the round of 16 of the WTA 500 tennis tournament in Dubai (United Arab Emirates). On Tuesday, Ruse managed her first victory against a top 10 opponent, the Spaniard Paula Badosa (5 WTA). On Monday, Simona Halep had defeated the American Alison Riske 6-2, 6-4. (MI)
