February 9, 2023 UPDATE

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Newsroom, 09.02.2023, 19:46

SUPPORT
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday called on the EU leaders,
who had convened in Brussels, to step up arms deliveries for his country to be
able to move faster than Russia, which invaded Ukraine a year ago. We need
artillery guns, ammunitions, modern tanks long-range missiles and modern jet-fighters,
Zelensky told the European leaders adding that a free Europe is not possible
without a free Ukraine. He has also called on the EU leaders to support Kyiv’s
peace plan and hold the Kremlin accountable. Zelensky has also asked for new
sanctions against Moscow, which should focus, among other things, on the
Russian defence industry. Earlier he had told the European MPs that the defence
of the Ukrainian territory against the Russian invasion was the defence of
Europe. The Ukrainian president is on a European tour, which also took him to London
and Paris.

MEETING According to the president of the European Council, Charles Michel,
the next weeks would be decisive for the war in Ukraine. Michel has called on
the EU leaders to respond to the requests made by Kyiv for weapons and
ammunition. During the special meeting of the European council, Ukraine called
for ammunitions, artillery guns, missiles, vehicles and defence systems. In
turn, the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen said that
Ukraine can count on the EU support now and in the future. She announced that
the future set of sanctions would be targeting a series of Russian military and
political leaders and includes over 10 billion euros restrictions for exports.
On the sidelines of the aforementioned meeting, European leaders, including Romanian
president Klaus Iohannis have voiced their commitment and support for Ukraine
and its people. Besides the war in Ukraine, high on the talks agenda there are also
the economic situation in the EU and migration. Iohannis said before the
meeting that Romania is neither a source of migration nor a transit country.
The Romanian official also said that the problem is European and Bucharest
wants to participate in the process of finding some of the best solutions to
this situation. Iohannis has also underlined that the issue of migration must
not be mistaken for Schengen.

TOLL The death toll of the earthquakes that hit
Turkey and Syria on Monday continues to rise, exceeding 20,000 dead on
Thursday, and the chances of survival for the people trapped under the rubble
are diminishing. The bad weather and cold are complicating the rescuers’ task,
given that the first 72 hours are crucial to find survivors, according to the
head of the Turkish Red Crescent, Kerem Kinik. Twitter has become inaccessible
to Turkey’s main mobile telephony providers amid growing online criticism of
the authorities’ handling of the tragedy. We had difficulties at the
beginning with the airports and on the roads, but we are better today and
tomorrow we will be even better – President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on
the eve, apparently to defuse the population’s anger over the slow reaction of
his regime. In power since 2003 and a candidate for a new mandate in the May
presidential election, Erdogan also announced the distribution of 10,000
Turkish liras (the equivalent of about 494 Euros) to each family affected by
the earthquake.

OECD Romania’s accession to the Organization for
Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is the next step on the country’s
way to modernization, development and prosperity – the Prime Minister Nicolae
Ciucă said Thursday, in Bucharest, at a conference organized by the Government
on the benefits that member countries of this Organization have. This event
marked one year since the start of Romania’s accession process to the OECD.
Romania’s accession to the OECD has become a major foreign policy
objective and a strategic objective of the country, after accession to the
European Union and NATO – Nicolae Ciucă stated, recalling that the Organization
has under its umbrella states that represent over 70% of world trade and
approximately 90% of the capital investments value. Regarding the current
economic situation in Romania, the prime minister recalled that, in 2022, the
Gross Domestic Product increased by almost 50 billion Euros as compared to the
previous year, i.e. 4.9%, which is a significant increase.

(bill&LS)