MOLDOVA – A joint session of the Romanian and Moldovan Parliaments
\nwas held on Saturday in Chi\u0219in\u0103u. This is the first time such an event takes
\nplace. Romanian and Moldovan MPs conveyed a joint message in support of Moldova
\nbeing granted EU candidate status. Attending the meeting was Moldova’s
\npresident, Maia Sandu, who expressed hope Moldova should be granted EU
\ncandidate status. In response to Friday’s recommendation issued by the European
\nCommission, president Sandu says the candidate status will represent a
\nlong-expected result, and that Chi\u0219in\u0103u will rely on Bucharest’s support while
\nmoving forward. The future of the Republic of Moldova is in the great European
\nfamily, and Romania is and will be Moldova’s most trusted partner, the speaker
\nof the Romanian Senate, Florin C\u00ee\u021bu, said in turn. The speaker of the Romanian
\nChamber of Deputies, Marcel Ciolacu, also said Romania and the Republic of
\nMoldova must work together to ensure better living standards for their
\ncitizens. At the end of the session, the president of the Moldovan Parliament,
\nIgor Grosu, and the speakers of two chambers of the Romanian Parliament signed
\na joint declaration reiterating the full support of all political parties in
\nRomania for the development, democratic consolidation and European integration
\nof the Republic of Moldova. The document also condemns the illegal, unprovoked and
\nunwarranted aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
AUR – The Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) in opposition
\nhas condemned the actions of Moldovan authorities regarding the party leader,
\nGeorge Simion, who is also the leader of the AUR parliamentary group. George
\nSimion was detained on Chi\u0219in\u0103u airport while trying to enter Moldova together
\nwith a delegation of the Romanian Parliament. Simion was detained after being
\nbanned during the mandate of the former pro-Russian president, Igor Dodon,
\naccused of endangering Moldovan statehood. The ban was not lifted by the
\ncurrent pro-European administration. Simion was included on the list of the
\nRomanian delegation and was not informed beforehand regarding the ban
\npreventing him from entering the territory of the Republic of Moldova.
\nDescribed as a turbulent populist by the Bucharest media, Simion has always
\nadvocated the unification of Romania and Moldova. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
WAR IN UKRAINE – The Russian Army has strengthened its position on Snake
\nIsland in the Black Sea, occupied at the start of the war, where it installed
\nadditional defense systems. This suggests the Russians are unwilling to give up
\nthis strategic point, despite the threats posed by the new Caesar and HIMARS
\nartillery and missile systems received by the Ukrainian forces. Western
\nmilitary experts believe the latest open-source satellite footage of the small
\nisland off the Ukrainian and Romanian coast reveals anti-air systems installed
\nby the Russians both on land as well as on nearby ships. The West has provided
\nUkraine with more mobile artillery systems, which in theory should allow them
\nto hit Snake Island. Experts say the island has both a military and an economic
\nstrategic value, since whoever controls the island controls the traffic of
\ncivilian watercraft in the Black Sea. A former territory of Romania, annexed by
\nthe USSR and taken over by Ukraine in 1991, Snake Island is located in an area
\nrich in oil and natural gas. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
DEATH -
\nActor Valentin Uritescu, one of the most popular actors of the last decades,
\nhas passed away aged 81. Over the course of his long career, he generally
\nplayed supporting roles in scores of films and theatre plays. Five years ago he
\nwas awarded the lifetime achievement award at the Gopo Awards Gala. He released
\na memoirs collection entitled Take care of your good side. Memoirs. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
TENNIS -
\nRomanian tennis players Sorana C\u00eerstea and Simona Halep are on Sunday competing
\nin the semi-finals of the WTA 250 tournament in Birmingham, totaling some 250
\nthousand dollars in prizes. In the first semi-final, C\u00eerstea will take on Shuai
\nZhang of China, the competition’s eighth seed. In the second semi-final, Simona
\nHalep will go up against Beatriz Haddad Maia of Brazil. Originally slated for
\nSaturday, the two matches were postponed due to heavy rain. (VP)<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A roundup of domestic and international news<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":113,"featured_media":105208,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[36805,36802,36806,36807,36572,36808],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-105980","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-newsflash","tag-george-simion","tag-joint-romania-moldova-parliament-session","tag-snake-island","tag-valentin-uritescu","tag-war-in-ukraine","tag-wta-250-birmingham"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n