February 23, UPDATE
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Newsroom, 23.02.2023, 19:49
Moldova — The external threats to the democratic order in the Republic of Moldova are particularly worrying, the Romanian President Klaus Iohannis said on Thursday, during a joint press conference in Bucharest with his Moldovan counterpart, Maia Sandu. “We are going through a period of crises of historical proportions”, the Romanian president said, evoking Russias war against Ukraine. Iohannis reiterated that Romania firmly condemns Russias attempts to destabilize the Republic of Moldova (with a majority Romanian speaking population) and assured that the country is not alone in facing these challenges. “Romania will continue to firmly support the respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Moldova, within its internationally recognized borders”, Klaus Iohnnis also said. For her part, Maia Sandu showed that Moldova is going through unprecedented challenges and thanked Romania for being its friend and advocate. She recalled that, at the beginning of the war, Moldova was Ukraines most vulnerable neighbor. “Now we are more prepared, we are consolidating our defense capacity, we have new sources of energy that we can rely on, we have increased exports to the European Union, we are more resilient and stronger”, said the president of the Republic of Moldova.
Diplomacy – The Romanian foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu participates on Thursday and Friday in the events organized by the United Nations to mark one year since the start of Russias war of aggression against Ukraine. On Thursday he was scheduled to speak at the 11th special emergency session of the UN General Assembly, convened in order to adopt a resolution aimed at restoring comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine. Romania is a co-sponsor of the resolution. On Friday, the Romanian foreign minister will speak at a ministerial round-table of the UN Security Council, with Ukraine again in the focus of attention. The Romanian official will present Bucharests efforts to support the over 3.6 million Ukrainian refugees who have crossed into Romania and to facilitate the transit of nearly 13 million tons of grains from Ukraine. He will also reiterate Romanias firm support for the integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine and his countrys commitment to an active contribution to international peace and security.
Meeting — The Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă reiterated, on Thursday, at a meeting with the EU countries ambassadors accredited to Bucharest, that Romanias accession to the Schengen area remained a priority. The PM emphasized that political and diplomatic action will be continued on all channels in order to identify concrete solutions for the successful completion of this objective. According to a Government release, at the meeting held at the Swedish Embassy in Bucharest, in the context in which Sweden holds the rotating Presidency of the Council of the EU, Prime Minister Ciucă presented, among other things, the economic developments in Romania over the last 12 months, highlighting the role played by the high rate of investments and the absorption of European funds in maintaining an economic growth of 4.8%, in the complicated context of the war in neighboring Ukraine, the increase in energy prices and the slow recovery after the Covid-19 pandemic.
Travel – Over 151 companies from several countries are taking part in the spring edition of the Romanian Tourism Fair that began in Bucharest on Thursday, offering up to 50% discounts on holiday packages and special promotions for luxury destinations. The event promotes the most interesting and profitable tourist offers in Romania and abroad. The 10 participating countries include Bulgaria, Cyprus, Egypt, Greece, Israel, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Turkey and Hungary.
Earthquake – A new earthquake measuring 3.9 in magnitude was reported in Gorj County, south-western Romania on Wednesday night, according to the National Institute for Earth Physics. On February 13, a 5.2 magnitude tremor was reported in the same area, followed the next day by a 5.7 magnitude earthquake. Seismologists announced that over 800 aftershocks followed the quake on February 13, but their number and magnitude declined in the following period. The region of Oltenia is known for a weak to moderate seismic activity, with very rare events over 5 on the magnitude scale. (LS, AMP)
