October 1, 2022
A roundup of local and international news
Newsroom, 01.10.2022, 13:55
Ukraine — The NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg denounced Russias “illegal and illegitimate” annexation of four regions of Ukraine and warned Moscow not to use nuclear weapons in this conflict, AFP reports. “Ukraine has of course the right to retake Ukrainian territory which is now occupied by Russian forces. Thats the reason why we support them” he told a press conference in Brussels, after the Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the annexation of the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. Ukraine reacted to the annexation of its four regions by demanding accelerated accession to NATO. Zelenski also accused Russia of redrawing borders through murder, blackmail, mistreatment and lies. The annexation of the Ukrainian territories by Russia was vehemently condemned by the West, and the USA, Great Britain and Canada almost immediately announced new sanctions against Moscow. The European Commission, in turn, demanded the tightening of conditions for the entry of Russian citizens into the EU bloc, and the leaders of the Council of Europe, an organization that guarantees human rights on the continent and to which Russia is no longer affiliated, also condemned Moscows action. A condemnation of the annexation in the UN Security Council was however blocked by Russias veto. China and India, which are its close partners, abstained from the vote. The annexation of the four Ukrainian regions was also firmly condemned by Romania, which does not recognize and will never recognize the referendums illegally orchestrated by Moscow, according to President Klaus Iohannis. In a Facebook post, the Romanian president also recalled the joint statement of the European Council, which rejected and unequivocally condemned the illegal annexation of the Ukrainian regions.
Interconnector — The Romanian Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă participates Saturday in Sofia, in Bulgaria, in the event launching the commercial operation of the Greece-Bulgaria Interconnector. “It is a moment that we are awaiting with great interest and hope, and that will open an important stage in the efforts we are making together at the European level to ensure our energy needs, while reducing, at the same time, dependence on Russian gas. Gas imports from Azerbaijan through this interconnector represent a viable alternative source from now on, which will ensure Romania and other states located on the distribution diagram of this gas network access to the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline”, said the Prime Minister Ciucă. On the occasion of the visit to Sofia, the Romanian PM will meet with the President of Bulgaria, Rumen Radev, with the interim Bulgarian Prime Minister, Galab Donev, as well as with officials from other countries, including the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, and the Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
Visit — The Romanian Defense Minister Vasile Dîncu is paying a two-day official visit to Chisinau as of Saturday. According to a Defense Ministry press release, the Romanian official today has talks with his Moldovan counterpart, Anatolie Nosatîi. The official agenda also includes meetings with Natalia Gavriliţa, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova, and with Igor Grosu, the President of the Moldovan Parliament. The agenda of the Romanian delegation also includes a visit to the Agency for Military Science and Memory and to the Military Museum in Chişinău.
Recession — Analysts believe that the world economy is approaching a period of recession. In their opinion, the world is witnessing a new world order and a resettlement of monetary flows and policies that will be negotiated between China and the US. According to Andrei Rădulescu, director of macroeconomic analysis, the recent developments of indicators in the United States and in the euro zone clearly express the state of recession in the second half of this year, so, an economic crisis similar to that of the late 90s will follow. Also a social crisis is expected in Europe, Adrian Rădulescu believes, which will not be felt so acutely in Romania, because the degree of dependence on hydrocarbons imports from Russia is much lower. In his opinion, Romania can enter the top of ten European economies by the end of the decade from the perspective of the nominal gross domestic product, because the country has a younger population compared to the western states, and the investments of the Euro-Atlantic bloc in the national economy will continue.
Energy – European energy ministers have decided to tax the additional income made by producers in the field that exceed a maximum level of 180 Euros for one Megawatt-hour between December 1, 2022 and June 30, 2023. The money will be used to finance the protection measures for final electricity consumers. The European officials also aim at a voluntary reduction in electricity consumption by 10%, with a mandatory component of 5% during peak hours, in the context of the energy crisis caused by the war in Ukraine. The Romanian energy minister, Virgil Popescu, announced that, during the negotiations, Romania obtained the guarantee that the measures already adopted at the national level regarding the consumer protection can be maintained. (LS)
