July 16, 2016
A roundup of domestic and international news
Newsroom, 16.07.2016, 12:05
According to the latest toll, at least 265 people were killed and over 1,1440 wounded in the attempted military coup on Friday to Saturday night in Turkey. Fire exchanges and explosions were reported both in the capital Ankara and in Istanbul. The headquarters of the Turkish secret services seem to have been one of the attackers targets. Also, the Army Chief of Staff was taken hostage, but then released. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has stated that the government is controlling the country. More than 2,800 army staff have been arrested for involvement in the attempted coup. The US and the EU have voiced their support for the Turkish government. An emergency parliament meeting is held today.
Romanias President Klaus Iohannis is in permanent contact with the competent Romanian authorities with regard to the situation in Turkey, a strategic partner to Romania and a NATO ally, the presidential administration has announced. According to the presidential release, Turkeys stability, on the basis of a full respect for democracy and the democratically elected authorities is important to regional, European and international security. In another move, the Romanian Foreign Ministry has announced that a crisis cell has been activated to analyse the most effective ways to provide consular assistance to the Romanian citizens currently on Turkish soil and also the political implications of the recent events. The Foreign Ministry recommends Romanian citizens to avoid travelling to and around Turkey. No Romanian victims have been reported so far. A team of the Romanian Consulate in Istanbul is at the Ataturk International Airport to help the Romanians there. The ground border between Turkey and Bulgaria has been closed at the exit to Turkey.
Four men close to the Tunisian who committed the attack in Nice have been arrested, according to a French judicial source. Out of the four, whose identities have not been disclosed, one was arrested on Friday and the other three on Saturday. The former wife of the attacker has also been arrested. The French President Francois Holland has decreed three days of national mourning, in memory of the 84 people who were killed in Nice, in the attack claimed by the Islamic State terrorist organisation. A Franco-Tunisian man driving a 25-tonne lorry ram through the crowds who had gathered on the citys waterfront for a firework display to celebrate Frances National Day. Around 100 people sustained injuries, including two Romanian nationals. The UN Security Council has described the attack as “barbaric”, while US president Barack Obama has said his country stands in solidarity with France, its oldest ally. In Bucharest, president Klaus Iohannis has sent a message of condolence to the grieving families and has said that the scourge of terrorism, which seeks to plant fear and despair, will not succeed in dividing Europe in its fight for and belief in freedom and democracy.
Alongside Spain, Romania has proposed the setting up of an international court against terrorism. The initiative was set forth at the Asia-Europe summit in the Mongolian capital Ulan Bator and was supported by several countries, said the Romanian PM Dacian Ciolos. He has also stated that this is aimed at strengthening the international communitys capacity to react in such situations. 50 heads of state and government from European and Asian countries attending the Asia-Europe Summit discussed the current economic situation, climate change, the fight against terror and migration. On the sidelines of the summit, the Romanian Prime Minister had several meetings with counterparts from the participating countries. Previously, Ciolos went to Vietnam, in a bid to relaunch bilateral economic and cultural relations.
The Davis Cup second-round match between Romania and Spain continues today in Cluj, north-western Romania, with the double between Horia Tecau/Florin Mergea and Marc Lopez/Pablo Carreno. After the first day of the meting, Spain is two wins ahead Romania. On Friday, Marius Copil was defeated by Feliciano Lopes 2-3, and Adrian Ungur lost to Roberto Bautista, 0-3. Sunday will see the last games between Copil – Bautista and Ungur – Lopez respectively. The winning team will get to the World Group play-offs in autumn, and the runner-up will remain in Group I. In another development, the best Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, no. 5 in the WTA rankings, defeated Danka Kovinic of Montenegro in the quarter finals of the BRD Bucharest Open and qualified for the semi-finals. Halep is the only Romanian still in the competition, a tournament with 250,000 dollars in prize money.
The Romanian national womens handball team won the bronze medal a the Under-20 World Championship in Moscow, after defeating Germany on Friday, 26-25. In the semi-finals the Romanian players lost 25-28 to Denmark. Early this month, the Romanian mens team won the World University Handball Championship in Malaga, Spain, and the womens team got silver at the same competition.
