STRIKE – The teachers’ strike has entered its
\nthird week, while national evaluation exams and the baccalaureate are due to
\nbegin, involving 325,000 8th and 12th year graduates. The
\ngovernment says it has met all of the protesters’ demands, while the latter’s
\ntrade unions say the government’s latest offer does not meet their
\nexpectations. Education minister Ligia Deca has called on teachers to return to
\nclassrooms and explained that following the pay rise offered by the government,
\nthe average salary in education would reach a gross sum of 1,700 euros. The
\nrepresentatives of the education ministry, pupils, parents and trade unions met
\non Tuesday to find solutions with regard to holding exams at the scheduled
\ndates. Education Minister Ligia Deca says there are no plans yet for
\nrescheduling exams or extending the school year.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
B9 – The leaders of Bucharest 9 countries met
\nin Bratislava and issued a joint statement expressing their support for
\nUkraine’s NATO accession, once circumstances allow it. Ukraine is an
\nintegral part of the Euro-Atlantic community and its security is intertwined
\nwith that of the Allies. We strongly support Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic
\naspirations and reiterate the Bucharest 2008 decision that Ukraine will become
\na member of NATO, the document signed by the leaders of Bulgaria, the Czech
\nRepublic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Hungary
\nreads. The shared vision of B9 states is key to ensuring security on NATO’s
\neastern flank, Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis said. The Romanian official
\nalso called for consolidating support for NATO’s vulnerable partners, in
\nparticular the Republic of Moldova, with a view to consolidating this country’s
\ndefense capabilities. Klaus Iohannis presided the meeting alongside the
\npresidents of Slovakia and Poland, Zuzana \u010caputov\u00e1 and Andrzej Duda,
\nrespectively. Also attending the meeting in Bratislava was NATO Secretary General
\nJens Stoltenberg. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
EXPLOSION – The destruction of the Nova Kakhovka dam
\nis another war crime Russia has committed against innocent civilians,
\npresident Klaus Iohannis tweeted shortly after the explosion. Russia and
\nRussian aggressors must be held accountable. Our thoughts go out to all those
\naffected by this terrible attack, the Romanian president added. Earlier, NATO
\nSecretary General Jens Stoltenberg expressed outrage at the attack, which, he
\nargues, proves once again the brutality of Russia’s war. The Ukrainian army
\naccused Russia of blowing up the dam at the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant,
\nlocated some 150 km from the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. Still, the
\nRussian crew in charge of the NPP stated the partial destruction of the dam,
\nwhich served in cooling the station, poses no threat to the installation for
\nthe time being. We recall the dam had been occupied by the Russians at the
\nstart of their invasion of Ukraine. Built on the Dnieper in 1956, the dam is
\none of the largest of its kind in Ukraine. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
EXERCISE – 5,000 Romanian and 2,700 American military,
\nas well as 2,300 servicemen and officers from other allied and partner nations
\nare taking part in the biggest NATO exercise in Romania, in the Black Sea
\nregion, entitled Saber Guardian 23. The exercise is meant to ensure better
\ncollaboration between the troops in the event of rapid intervention missions.
\nExercises include wet gap crossings of the Danube river, parachute jumps and
\ndrills specific to infantry and artillery attacks. This exercise is more
\nimportant than ever. The changes the Russian aggression in Ukraine has brought
\nto the security framework confirm the fact that the Black Sea is now critical
\nto Europe’s security. The strategic importance of the Black Sea has increased
\nexponentially, Romania’s Defense Minister Angel T\u00eelv\u0103r says. The Saber
\nGuardian exercise is part of the Defender Europe 23, a U.S. European Command directed
\nmultinational exercise. (CM & 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":[37490,37662,37663,37661],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-106702","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-newsflash","tag-b9-meeting","tag-nova-kakhovka-dam","tag-saber-guardian-23","tag-teachers-strike"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n