MILITARY President Klaus Iohannis and NATO’s secretary general Jens Stoltenberg
\nwill visit the Mihail Kog\u0103lniceanu Air Base 57, the Romanian Presidency
\nannounced. The 2 officials will also discuss with the troops deployed to the
\nmilitary base and subsequently will have a joint press conference. Military
\nequipment for the US Task Force (TF) Cougar has already reached Romania. TF
\nCougar will primarily consist of a
\nStryker squadron relocated from Germany to Romania to protect the region in the
\ncontext of the Russia-Ukraine standoff. President Iohannis said
\nafter a visit to the Headquarters Multinational Brigade South-East on Thursday
\nthat the US and France deciding to strengthen their military presence in Romania
\nis a ‘firm sign of the coherence and consistency of Euro-Atlantic solidarity’ and
\ninvited other Allied countries as well to consider contributing troops to the
\nmultinational structures in Romania.<\/p>\n
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\n
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DRILLS Russia and Belarus Thursday began 10 days of military exercises near
\nthe border with Ukraine and Poland. According to the Russian defence ministry, the drills are aimed at the tasks of repelling
\nexternal aggression while conducting a defensive operation, countering
\nterrorism and protecting common interests.
\nNATO is concerned that the Russian military build-up in Belarus is part of a
\nplan to attack Ukraine. Moscow denies plans to invade Ukraine, and says it will
\npull out its troops from Belarus as soon as the drills are over. According to Radio
\nRomania’s correspondent in Moscow, Russia relocated troops and equipment from
\nas far as Siberia and the Far East, 10,000 km away, for the exercise in
\nBelarus. <\/p>\n
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\n
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GOVERNMENT The governments of Romania and the Republic of Moldova will hold their
\nfirst joint meeting in Chi\u015fin\u0103u on Friday, with the Romanian PM Nicolae Ciuc\u0103 scheduled
\nto also have talks with president Maia Sandu and the Moldovan parliament
\nspeaker Igor Grosu. A joint action and solidarity plan for the energy sector
\nwill be put together within 6 months of signing a joint memorandum on energy
\nsecurity, which is scheduled for Friday, the Romanian government spokesman Dan
\nC\u0103rbunaru said. He added that a bill was passed on the mutual recognition of
\ndiplomas. Over 12,000 students and 2,000 pupils from Moldova are currently
\nattending Romanian schools. The 2 governments are also to sign an agreement on
\nFriday concerning the building, maintenance, repair and use of a cross-border
\nbridge in Ungheni. Another agreement between the 2 states will concern roaming
\nand international call tariffs.<\/p>\n
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\n
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ECONOMY Romania’s economy went up by 6.3% in 2021, thanks to a
\nsound domestic demand, but the pace will slow down to 4.2% this year, to reach
\n4.5% in 2023, according to the winter economic forecast released by the
\nEuropean Commission on Thursday. Last autumn the EC estimated Romania’s GDP
\nwould grow by 7% in 2021, with rates of 5.1% and 5.2% forecast for 2022 and
\n2023 respectively. The most recent data concerning confidence in the economy
\nindicate positive, although moderated economic growth prospects, especially in services,
\nretail, constructions and industry. Private consumption is also expected to
\nrecover in the second half of the year, when restrictions will be eased out and
\ninflation will slow down. Meanwhile, the EC substantially adjusted its 2022
\ninflation forecast for Romania, from 4% estimated in November to 5.3% this
\nwinter, after a 4.1% inflation rate in 2021.<\/p>\n
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\n
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TENNIS The Romanian tennis player Irina Begu Thursday managed a
\nspectacular win against Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic, 6-4, 6-0, which
\nsecured her a place in the quarter-finals of the WTA 500 tournament in Sankt
\nPetersburg, Russia. Another Romanian, Jaqueline Cristian, lost to Aleksandra
\nSasnovich of Belarus, 6-2, 6-3, and left the competition. (A.M.P.)<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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