March 5, 2026 UPDATE
A roundup of local and international news.
Newsroom, 05.03.2026, 19:49
Visit. Romania and Poland are “successful examples” within the European Union, said president Nicuşor Dan on Thursday during a trip to Warsaw at the invitation of his counterpart Karol Nawrocki. In a joint press conference with the Polish president, he said that Romania and Poland are important countries on the Eastern Flank, “successful examples both economically and socially in terms of their journey as EU members, and countries that support the transatlantic partnership, understanding its importance”. He added that the talks focused mainly on security cooperation in a complicated global context, dominated by the aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine and by the conflicts in the Middle East. Other topics discussed included the two countries’ defence industries and the possibility of collaboration on joint military procurement in the context of the SAFE Programme, as well as the advancement of the Strategic Partnership between Romania and Poland, with an emphasis on the development of economic exchanges and investments, as well as better cooperation at European and allied level. The B9 summit, which will take place in May in Bucharest, also featured on the agenda of talks.
Repatriation. The Romanian foreign ministry said 490 Romanian citizens who requested consular assistance from the countries affected by the new war in the Middle East have returned to Romania. Of these, 318 returned from Israel on assisted repatriation flights, via charter flights hired by travel agencies and benefited from consular assistance from representatives of the Romanian Embassy in Egypt. Four Romanian citizens returned from Jordan, via an evacuation flight organised by Slovakia. Another group of 174 people, including 172 Romanian citizens and two citizens of the neighboring Republic of Moldova, returned from Israel, also via Egypt, on a flight operated by a private company. Via Romania’s diplomatic missions and consular offices in the region, the foreign ministry crisis cell is in touch with Romanian citizens affected by the conflict in the Middle East, as well as with the authorities of the states in the region and will continue to provide consular assistance and protection, prioritising the safety of Romanian citizens, depending on the development of the security situation.
Iran. Massive explosions rocked Tehran and other Iranian cities as the United States and Israel carried out their sixth day of airstrikes on that country, targeting military bases, missile sites and military and political leaders. Iran’s state media says more than 1,200 people have been killed in airstrikes since the start of the conflict. Tehran has launched what it called its 19th wave of attacks. Iranian drones have also targeted the passenger terminal of the airport in Nakhichevan, Azerbaijan, near the border with Iran, injuring at least two people. Tehran also said it fired missiles at the headquarters of Kurdish forces in autonomous Kurdistan region in Iraq, which hosts US troops. The Israeli military said its defence systems were operational after detecting a new wave of missiles launched from Iran. At the same time, Israel carried out new airstrikes on Lebanon, and troops advanced into several border towns in the south of the country in a ground operation against the pro-Iranian group Hezbollah. Saudi Arabia said it shot down cruise missiles near a city in the centre of the country. Explosions were also heard in Doha, the capital of Qatar, as well as in Manama, in Bahrain. In another move, France decided to allow the United States to use its bases in the Middle East to refuel American planes. In Bucharest, several people demonstrated in front of the Iranian embassy.
Price cap. Romanian Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan announced on Thursday that the government has adopted an emergency order to maintain a cap on gas prices for household users until spring next year. As the reasons for this decision, he listed the fact that Romania is to double its gas supply capacity in 2027, the need to ensure economic and social predictability, and the situation in the Gulf area. The prime minister said, that “inevitably, due to the gaps in the supply of global markets with crude oil and gas, we are in a situation where, even if the EU or Romania are not very dependent on supplies from that area, due to the fact that prices on these markets are established at a global level, we will also be affected”.
EUROVISION. Singer Alexandra Căpitănescu will represent Romania at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, with a song entitled Choke Me, following the ]national selection held on Wednesday evening on public television. Under the slogan United by Music, the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 will take place in Vienna, Austria, with the semi-finals scheduled for May 12 and 14 and the final on May 16. Romania will enter the contest in the second semi-final. Romania’s best results at this contest were third place in 2005 and 2010 (Luminiţa Anghel & Sistem, in Kyiv; Paula Seling and Ovi, in Oslo) and fourth place in 2006 (Mihai Trăistariu, in Athens). (CM)
