July 20, 2025
A roundup of local and world news
Newsroom, 20.07.2025, 13:55
VISIT The Romanian foreign minister Oana Ţoiu said yesterday that she will make a visit to the US in September, devoted among other things to preparations for a bilateral meeting between presidents Donald Trump and Nicuşor Dan. In an interview on a television channel, the Romanian diplomacy chief said she had had talks on strengthening relations between Romania and the US with the US secretary of state Marco Rubio at the NATO summit in The Hague. On that occasion Nicuşor Dan and Donald Trump met and exchanged a few words. This spring, Romania was removed from the US Visa Waiver Program after Washington had initially lifted visa requirements for Romanians. The Trump administration then reversed its decision over border security and immigration concerns.
ELIJAH Over 140,000 Romanian Orthodox Christians are celebrating their name day today, on the feast of Saint Elijah, one of the most important prophets of the Old Testament. Among other things, he is viewed as a defender of the faith and a fighter against idolatry, and is the patron saint of aviators. Therefore the Day of Romanian Aviation and Air Force is also marked Romania on July 20. On this occasion, an air show took place in the capital Bucharest, featuring over 40 aircraft from the defence ministry, the interior ministry, the Romanian Intelligence Service, the Romanian Aeroclub, as well as the Italian Air Force. Military and religious ceremonies are also organised elsewhere in the country. In 2025, Romania celebrates 112 years of aviation and 90 years since the unveiling of the Air Heroes Monument in Bucharest.
AVIATION The Air Force remains an essential pillar of the Romanian Army and is modernising and adapting to new security challenges, Romania’s president Nicuşor Dan said in his message on Aviation Day. He congratulated airmen for their courage and determination in carrying out their missions, which are also appreciated by Romania’s allies. In the current security context marked by the Russian Federation’s continued war against Ukraine, the Air Force, alongside the other components of the army and together with the allies, contributes decisively to maintaining a credible deterrence and defense posture on the entire eastern flank of NATO, the president emphasised. Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan also said that the Air Force is essential for the country’s security and response capacity, which supports Romania’s credible presence within the North Atlantic Alliance.
BUDGET The Romanian minister of investments and EU projects Dragoş Pîslaru says the EUR 60 billion earmarked for Romania under the new 2028-2035 Multiannual Financial Framework, as recently proposed by the European Commission, is good at first glance, but that it comes with strict conditions. Romania must be well prepared, with very clear its priorities and capable of delivering results, the minister posted on his Facebook page. Pîslaru wrote that important months are ahead because in the fall the European Parliament and the Council are to make public their official views on the new budget, and Romania must in turn present its own stand. Negotiations are expected in 2026, and as of the second half of 2027 the member states may submit their national plans for approval, so that in 2028 we could already have the financing after the approved plans, Dragoş Pîslaru explained.
MOLDOVA The Central Electoral Commission of the Republic of Moldova has denied the registration of the pro-Russian electoral bloc “Pobeda” (Victory) for the parliamentary elections due on September 28. The bloc, made up of 4 pro-Russian and Eurosceptic political parties, was created in Moscow by Ilan Shor, a fugitive Moldovan oligarch sentenced to prison for his involvement in the theft of USD one billion from Moldova’s banks. Shor’s involvement is precisely why the Central Electoral Commission in Chisinau made this decision, as according to the institution the oligarch’s banned party would thus carry on its activity in disguise. The Commission’s decision can be appealed in court.
MIDDLE EAST The European Union yesterday welcomed the ceasefire between the Israeli army and the Syrian transitional authority, and called for all civilians to be protected. Paris and Washington also called for strict compliance with the ceasefire in Sweida, a province in southern Syria which has seen gruesome conflicts between members of the Bedouin and Druze communities. About 940 victims were reported, of which almost 600 Druze, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. This is the second wave of violence of this type in Syria since the dictator Bashar al-Assad was removed from power in December 2024. The new Syrian president, Ahmad al-Sharaa, has promised his government will protect minorities, but before the Druze, more than 1,000 Alawites, another Shiite minority to which former President al-Assad belongs, have been killed. Jihadists are also believed to have taken part in the massacres, prompting the US secretary of state Marco Rubio to call on Syrian authorities to use their security forces to prevent jihadists from entering the south of the country and committing atrocities. On Saturday, Damascus said its troops had halted the violence and declared a ceasefire. (AMP)
