November 12, 2022
A roundup of local and international news.
Newsroom, 12.11.2022, 13:43
FORUM – On Friday, the President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, had a meeting with his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, on the sidelines of the Paris Peace Forum. The two leaders discussed priority topics on the bilateral agenda, such as consolidation of the Romanian-French Strategic Partnership and the stage and perspectives of joint projects in the economic, security and defense sectors. President Iohannis voiced Bucharest’s legitimate expectations regarding Romania’s accession to the Schengen area and thanked President Macron fro the support shown by France in this respect. According to the Romanian official, the positive results of the recent assessment mission confirm, once more, that Romania is prepared to join the Schengen area and that the enlargement will help consolidate the security and resilience of the EU in its entirety. As regards security aspects, Iohannis expressed his appreciation for the participation of the French troops in NATO’s multinational force in Romania.
US — Incumbent Democrat senator Mark Kelly was reelected in Arizona, a contest that left President Joe Biden’s party one seat short in the battle for control of the chamber, Reuters and France Presse report. After the former astronaut Mark Kelly defeated Republican Blake Masters, the final result now depends on contests in Nevada and Georgia. Democrats need one more seat to secure majority in the Senate, and Vice President Kamala Harris can cast the tie-breaking vote. In the November 8 elections, the Republicans won majority in the House of Representatives.
COMMEMORATION — Ambassadors of France, Germany and Bulgaria in Bucharest have today commemorated, Armistice Day, in the Pro Patria Cemetery of Romania’s capital, the French diplomatic mission has announced. The three diplomats took part in a ceremony in honor of the military who died in war in their countries and to all civilian victims of the Great War. November 11, 1918, the end of WW1, is marked in France under the name of ”Armistice”. At present, this day continues to be commemorated on November 11, the emphasis being laid on preserving peace and frindship among people and honoring the memory of the heroes. In Romania, 531 French soldiers killed in WW1 are buried in cemeteries in Bucharest and other cities. Some of them were under the comand of Gen. Henri Mathias Berthelot, who assited the Romanian army between 1916 and 1918, offering military training and pretious medical aid to Romanian soldiers and civillians.
UKRAINE — The White House hailed what appears to be an “extraordinary victory” for Ukraine following the forced withdrawal of the Russian military and the recapture of the city of Kherson, in the south, France Presse reports. “The only regional capital that Russia had seized in this war is now back under the Ukrainian flag, which is quite remarkable,” the White House security adviser Jake Sullivan, who accompanies President Joe Biden to the ASEAN summit in Cambodia, said. Asked about reports that the Biden administration has started to press President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to explore negotiations with Moscow, Sullivan said that Russia, not Ukraine, was the side that has to decide whether or not to go to the table. “If Russia chose to stop fighting in Ukraine and left, it would be the end of the war. If Ukraine chose to stop fighting and give up, it would be the end of Ukraine,” he said.
HANDBALL — The Romanian women’s handball team defeated Spain Friday evening in Skopje, in a dramatic match whose faith was decided in the last minute by the goal of Bianca Bazaliu. The match ended 28-27. This is the Romanians’ first match in main group II of the European Handball Championship hosted by Slovenia, North Macedonia and Montenegro. In the same group, Germany defeated the Netherlands. Romania still has chances to advance to the Championship’s semifinals but it must win the matches against Montenegro and Germany on Tuesday and Wednesday respectively. The first two teams in each main group qualifies to the semi-finals. (EE)
