May 29, 2022 UPDATE

A roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 29.05.2022, 20:00

WAR IN
UKRAINE – Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, visited Kharkiv Oblast
on Sunday for the first time since the start of the invasion, where Moscow has
withdrawn all its troops, moving them to different areas of Ukraine. According
to the head of the presidential administration, Andriy Yermak, president
Zelensky visited the destroyed residential buildings which he said will have to
be replaced with new apartment buildings fitted with bomb shelters. Andriy
Yermak said that 31% of Kharkiv is currently occupied by Russia, and that
another 5% was reclaimed by Ukraine after previously being held by Russian
troops.

NATO – Iulian Fota, Secretary of
State for Strategic Affairs with the Romanian Foreign Ministry, has talked to
US Senator Robert Portman about the US’s decision to increase its military
presence on Romanian territory. He expressed Romania’s commitment, alongside
other European partners, to consolidate the resilience of the Republic of
Moldova by means of concrete measures and countering the effects of the Russian
aggression in Ukraine. Talks with Senator Portman also focused on the security
developments in the region, generated by the Russian Federation’s illegal
military operations in Ukraine and its consequences on European and Euro-Atlantic
security. The two officials also tackled the priorities of the NATO Summit of
June 2022 in Madrid, with a focus on adopting decisions that should reassert
NATO’s main role, namely ensuring collecting defense and consolidating
trans-Atlantic ties, the Romanian MFA also writes.

IMF – A delegation of the
International Monetary Fund will visit Bucharest over May 31 – June 10, to
conduct an analysis of Romanian economy. IMF experts will discuss with
representatives of the Finance Ministry, the National Bank, the private sector
and NGOs. Romania has no ongoing agreement with the IMF presently.

ROMANIANS
WORLDWIDE – President Klaus Iohannis and Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă
conveyed messages marking the Day of Romanians Worldwide, celebrated on the
last Sunday of May. Irrespective of where we are, today is a good opportunity
to reflect on everything that bounds us together and to Romania – a strong
identity and being part of a people that has over the centuries overcome great
hardships, the President said in his message. The relocation of certain
companies in Romania, against a very difficult backdrop, might represent an
opportunity encouraging Romanians to return home, president Iohannis went on to
say, recalling the importance of the Government’s actions to support, by means
of dedicated programs, Romanians who wish to return home. There are millions
of Romanians living abroad. Romanians are at the center of the Government’s
concerns, irrespective of where they are, the Prime Minister also said.
Nicolae Ciucă also said that the Department of Romanians Worldwide is helping
strengthen ties with communities of Romanians and support them in order to
preserve national identity, through education and cultural projects conducted
across ministries and in partnership with civilian society and academia. We
also want Romanians who seek employment abroad to be respected and their rights
should be observed. I am confident that memorandum signed at the level of the
line ministries in Romania and Italy will be followed by similar initiatives
with other EU states and beyond, Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă said.

ROLAND
GARROS – At the French Open in Paris, the Romanian-Ukrainian pair Gabriela
Ruse / Marta Kostyuk on Sunday advanced to the quarterfinals of the women’s
doubles after defeating Catherine McNally of the USA and Shuai Zhang of China,
4-6, 6-3, 6-4. On Saturday, Irina Begu advanced to the women’s singles’ round
of 16 after ousting Leolia Jeanjean of France, 6-1, 6-4. Begu thus matched her
best performance at Roland Garros, after in 2016 she also reached this stage of
the women’s singles. This is Begu’s best performance in Grand Slam tournaments,
her first being to reach the round of 16 at Australian Open in 2015.

ROWING -
Romanian athlete Cătălin Chirilă
won silver in the 500m and 1000m single canoe races held on Sunday at the World
Cup in Poznan, Poland. In the 500m race, Chirilă was outrun by Martin Fuksa of the Czech Republic, two-time world champion
and several-time European champion. The bronze went to Wiktor Glazunow of
Poland. In the 1000m race, Fuksa won again the gold, while Pavlo Altuhov of
Ukraine won bronze. Also on Sunday, Chirilă came in 4th in the 5000m race. (VP)