January 16, 2020 UPDATE

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Newsroom, 16.01.2020, 19:50

MEETING Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis on
Thursday gave assurances to the foreign ambassadors accredited to Bucharest that
he would see to it that Romania remains a vector of stability and a firm
promoter of democracy at international level. Against the present international
background fraught with risks, challenges as well as new and old threats, the
need for a North-Atlantic alliance strong, united and effective is bigger than
ever, the head of the Romanian state went on to say adding that NATO is a successful
military alliance and we are going to continue to work in tight connection with
the other allies to make it even stronger. As for the relation with Chisinau,
Romania will resume full cooperation with the ex-soviet, Romanian-speaking
Republic of Moldova when it learns that at government level actions have been
taken for this country’s implementation of the European road-map. During the
meeting with the ambassadors in Bucharest, the Romanian president presented the
main directions of Romania’s foreign policy this year with emphasis on the
consolidation and extension of the country’s strategic partnership with the USA
as well as on the increasing role Romania must have in the EU and NATO.

RESPONSIBILITY The Romanian government will assume responsibility
for the law on the two-round election of mayors, Prime Minister Ludovic Orban
announced on Thursday. According to the Liberals, the move will give the local
officials elected more legitimacy and representation. Marcel Ciolacu, the
interim president of the opposition Social Democratic Party (PSD) has said that
his party together with the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania
UDMR will table a censure motion against the executive but that will not lead
to snap election. ‘We will prove that we have the capability of creating a new
Parliament majority’, Ciolacu went on to say. The Save Romania Union has hailed
the Romanian government’s decision recalling the idea of switching to the
two-round system of voting was a major objective in the agreement concluded
with the government. Assuming responsibility is a ‘brave initiative’ which the
centre-to-right People’s Movement Party will support in Parliament, Eugen
Tomac, the president of the aforementioned party said. Romania’s president
Klaus Iohannis is totaly supporting the government’s initiative, which he
considers a correct, democratic and normal move. Also on Thursday the
government postponed until August 1st the implementation of a law on doubling
child benefits for which no funds have been found yet.

TENNIS The fourth-seeded tennis
player Simona Halep of Romania will be taking on Jennifer Brady of the US in
the first round of Australian Open due to kick off in Melbourne on Monday.
Another two Romanians are on the main draw, Sorana Cirstea and Irina Begu,
while Ana Bogdan, also from Romania, will be playing in the qualification’s
last round. On Thursday, Halep lost to Arina Sabalenka of Belarus and was
eliminated from the quarterfinals of the WTA tournament in Adelaide.

(translated by bill)