COVID-19 The COVID certificate has become mandatory
\nin Romania as of Monday for participants in various indoor events in all areas with
\nan infection rate between 3 and 6 per thousand. The green pass proves the
\nholder has been fully vaccinated, recovered from the disease or tested
\nnegative, and grants access to indoor events like theatre and cinema shows,
\nsporting competitions, weddings or baptism ceremonies. Children under 6 are
\nexempt. Authorities in Bucharest Monday announced 3,342 new infections out of
\nover 21,000 tests conducted. 78 new Covid-related fatalities were also reported,
\nwhile 952 patients are presently in ICUs. Over 100 towns and villages in
\nRomania have infection rates of over 3 per thousand. Only 19 beds are currently
\navailable nation-wide for COVID patients, except for those set aside for people
\nwith certain medical conditions and testing positive for SARS-CoV-2. According
\nto the Strategic Communication Group, the capital city Bucharest has no more
\nbeds available at the moment. <\/p>\n
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DRILL As of Monday, almost
\n400 troops from Romania, Portugal and Poland with over 65 pieces of military
\nequipment are participating in a drill called Green Scorpions 21.3 hosted by
\nthe National Training Centre ‘Getica’ close to Brasov, in central Romania.
\nAccording to sources with the Defence Ministry, the drill’s main goal is the
\njoint training of troops, raising the level of interoperability between NATO
\nmembers as well as the setting up of some joint battle techniques, tactics and
\nprocedures for the successful accomplishment of missions. The command is
\nprovided by infantry battalion 22 jointly with Portuguese and Polish detachments.
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ELECTION The Foreign
\nMinistry in Bucharest has announced it does not recognize the legitimacy of the
\nelection for the Russian Parliament held in the annexed region of Crimea. The
\nRomanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has reiterated its support for the
\nsovereignty and territorial integrity of neighboring Ukraine, recalling that
\nRomania does not recognize the illegal annexation of the Autonomous Republic of
\nCrimea and the city of Sevastopol by Moscow. Bucharest also notes with regret
\nthat Russia has opened polling stations in Transdniester against the will of
\nthe constitutional authorities in Chisinau, a fact that runs against the
\nsovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Moldova. According to
\nthe Central Electoral Commission, president Putin’s party, United Russia, is
\npreserving its majority in the State Duma following the parliamentary election
\nheld for three days. United Russia got around 50% of the votes, but this
\naccounts for over 300 of the 450 seats in Russia’s parliament, allowing the
\nparty to pass laws and implement reforms with no support from other political
\nforces. Second came the Communist Party with some 19% of the votes. The
\nnationalist LDPR party and the Fair Russia party also got into parliament,
\nalongside a new party called New People, seen by some as a Kremlin project
\ndesigned to divide Putin’s opponents.<\/p>\n
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\nMEETING The
\nRomanian president, Klaus Iohannis, and the country’s Foreign Minister, Bogdan
\nAurescu Monday attended the 76th session of the UN General Assembly
\nin New York. For the first time since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, the
\nevent has been attended in person by heads of state and governments of UN
\ncountries. Romania’s participation at the highest level in the UN sessions
\nreconfirms Bucharest’s support for pragmatic and effective multilateral
\ndiplomacy as a landmark of Romania’s foreign policy, as well as the Romanian
\ncontribution to international and UN activities. On the sidelines of the event
\nin New York, the country’s Foreign Minister, Bogdan Aurescu will be attending a
\nnumber of multilateral meetings. According to the Foreign Ministry in
\nBucharest, special attention will be paid to bilateral meetings with
\ncounterparts from countries in the Caucasus, Central, East and South Asia, the
\nMiddle East, Africa and the Pacific area. (tr. A.M. Popescu, D. Bilt)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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