September 18, 2023 UPDATE

A roundup of local and international news.

Newsroom, 18.09.2023, 19:21

UN. President Klaus
Iohannis is heading Romania’s delegation at the 78th UN General Assembly held
in New York between 18th and 22nd September. The main
theme of the session is Rebuilding trust and reigniting global solidarity:
Accelerating action on the 2030 Agenda and its sustainable development goals
towards peace, prosperity, progress and sustainability for all. On
Wednesday, Iohannis is expected to present Bucharest’s assessment of current
global issues and underline the top priorities of its foreign policy and
contribution to the objectives on the UN agenda. During his addresses and the
interactions with his counterparts from the other UN member countries, Iohannis
is expected to reiterate Romania’s firm support for effective multilateralism,
the observance of international law and a rules-based order, with the UN in a
central position. He will be presenting Romania’s assessment regarding the
multiple crises currently
facing the international community. The Romanian president is also expected to
attend the summit on sustainable development and the debates staged by the
University of Columbia in New York as part of the World Leaders Forum on the
subject of Romania’s Perspective on
the War Against Ukraine and its Impact on Black Sea Security.

Motion. Romanian
deputies on Monday debated a simple motion initiated by the Save Romania Union
and the Force of the Right from the centre -right opposition against the
Social-Democratic Minister of Health Alexandru Rafila. This has been the first
move of this kind in the current Parliament season. The initiators are blaming
Rafila for the way he managed the health reforms and investment stipulated in
the National Plan of Recovery and Resilience. They also blame him for the
delays in the application norms of the National Plan for Combating Cancer.
Rafila has rejected the allegations and has deemed the opposition’s move as
demagogical. The motion will be put to the vote on Wednesday.

IMF. An International Monetary Fund team will travel to Bucharest next week for an annual assessment of the Romanian economy. The IMF experts will discuss with the Romanian authorities about tax policies and the latest economic developments and will meet officials from the field. A set of conclusions will be presented at the end of the mission. Such consultations are held regularly with all IMF members.

Ukraine. NATO Secretary
General Jens Stoltenberg warned that the world should not expect a quick ending
to the war in Ukraine. In an interview published on Sunday, at a time when the
Ukrainian army is engaged in a slow counteroffensive, Stoltenberg recalled that
most wars last longer than expected when they first begin and said that we
must prepare ourselves for a long war in Ukraine.

Drones. Residents
of 16 villages in Tulcea county are receiving alert texts on their mobile
phones warning of the fall of possible drone parts as a result of Russian
strikes on Ukraine’s river ports. The most recent such warnings were issued on
Sunday evening in the north of the county as groups of Russian drones were
detected heading for Ukraine, the Romanian defence ministry said. The governor
of Odessa region Oleh Kiper said Ismail district, home to a Danube port of the
same name and used for the export of Ukrainian cereals, was again the target of
Russian drone strikes. He said 11 drones were destroyed, but did not give
details about possible damage to the port’s infrastructure.

Aid. Two Romanian Air Force C-130 aircraft on
Monday delivered to the Libyan city of Benghazi the second tranche of Romania’s
aid for Libya, which is affected by devastating floods. Six flights are
scheduled on this route, delivering a total of 55 tonnes of goods consisting of
food products and shelter aid. Libya is also to receive more than 5 million
euros from the European Union. More than 11,000 people have been killed so far
and 10,000 are missing. (CM)