FINLAND – On
\nTuesday Finland became the 31st member of the North Atlantic Treaty
\nOrganization in a ceremony held at the NATO headquarters, where it submitted
\nthe accession instrument to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. The final
\nstep before Tuesday’s ceremony was held on Tuesday at the NATO headquarters,
\nwhere Turkey was the last country to ratify Finland’s accession. US Secretary
\nof State Blinken hailed what he has described as a historic day for NATO,
\nsaying Finland’s accession was precipitated by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
\nIn 2022, Finland and Sweden asked to become members of NATO shortly after the
\nRussian Federation launched its war of aggression in Ukraine. While Finland
\nreceived the approval of all NATO members, Turkey decided to postpone Sweden’s
\naccession. Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg expressed confidence Sweden will
\nshortly become a member of NATO. Finland’s accession coincides with the
\nanniversary of 74 years since the signing of the Washington Treaty, the
\nfounding document of NATO, on April 4, 1949, a landmark celebrated in Brussels
\nthrough a number of special events. <\/p>\n
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NATO -
\nRomania’s president, Klaus Iohannis, on Tuesday hailed Finland’s official
\naccession to NATO, saying the North Atlantic Treaty Organization is stronger
\nnow. Our unity and solidarity will always prevail over the unprecedented
\nchallenges in our region, the president tweeted. In turn, Prime Minister
\nNicolae Ciuc\u0103 welcomed Finland’s NATO accession and wished Romania’s new
\npartner good luck. Nicolae Ciuc\u0103 pointed out that Bucharest also expects Sweden
\nto become a full member of NATO as soon as possible. <\/p>\n
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LEGAL – The legal
\ncommittee of the Chamber of Deputies on Tuesday issued a favorable opinion for
\nthe amendments to the Criminal and Criminal Procedure Codes tabled by the
\nJustice Ministry. The bill eliminated all the amendments previously adopted by
\nthe Senate, including the introduction of a threshold for offenses that
\nconstitute abuse of office. Ruling coalition MPs originally proposed the
\nelimination of wiretaps as evidence for corruption and tax evasion offenses,
\nbut the amendment was eliminated. The Chamber of Deputies is expected to vote
\nthe bill on Wednesday. From the opposition, USR deputy Stelian Ion criticized
\nthe fact that coalition MPs have eliminated all amendments modifying the
\nCriminal Code and voted the form proposed by the government without introducing
\na threshold for offenses constituting abuse of office. Stelian Ion Claims the
\narticle in the bill will be declared unconstitutional and all such offenses
\nwill be written off. <\/p>\n
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DISTINCTION – The Turkish
\nwriter Orhan Pamuk on Tuesday was awarded the Doctor Honoris Causa title from the West University of Timi\u0219oara.
\nIn his acceptance speech, Orhan Pamuk spoke about the role of literature today,
\nbut also referred to a number of problems in his country, including the
\nFebruary 6 quakes. The writer said Istanbul has evolved from a city with a
\nmillion inhabitants to a metropolis totaling over 16 million people, boasting a
\nhuge library. The Turkish writer said the February quakes made him identify
\nwith the suffering of Turkey. Orhan Pamuk is the recipient of the 2006 Nobel
\nPrize for Literature. His books have been translated in over 60 languages. Pamuk is one of the five laureates of the
\nNobel Prize who are expected to visit Timi\u0219oara, the European Capital of
\nCulture in 2023. <\/p>\n
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ACADEMY – Romania’s highest
\ncultural and scientific forum, the Romanian Academy on Tuesday opened its doors
\nto visitors to mark its 157th anniversary. On this occasion, its
\nmost representative venues such as the Academy Hall, the Academy Club or the
\nMemorial Museum, were opened to visitors who were also offered a guided tour of
\nthe Library. The Romanian Academy boasts 14 sections, covering several domains
\nsuch as literature, linguistics, history, philosophy, mathematics, physics,
\nchemistry, biology, geonomics, technical sciences, science and IT, agronomy,
\nmedicine, economic and legal sciences, art and architecture. The Romanian
\nAcademy presently boasts 181 members and corresponding members as well as 135
\nhonorary members. (DB & 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":[31221,31423,33588,30126,37497,30132,37498],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-106576","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-newsflash","tag-abuse-of-office","tag-chamber-of-deputies","tag-finland","tag-nato-accession","tag-orhan-pamuk","tag-romanian-academy","tag-west-university-of-timisoara"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n