VISIT President Klaus Iohannis is in Tanzania, the second stage of
\nhis African tour which also included Kenya and will take him to the Republic of
\nCabo Verde and Senegal. During talks with top level officials, president Iohannis
\npresents Romania’s outlook on reviving its relations with African countries,
\nbased on the recently adopted national strategy for Africa. On the other hand, the
\nRomanian official also set out to present Bucharest’s views on regional and
\ninternational security, given the country’s proximity to Ukraine. We discussed
\nways to manage the multiple consequences of the war, including in terms of
\nensuring the food security of countries in Africa, Mr. Iohannis said after the
\ntalks with the president of Tanzania, Samia Hassan. I have presented the
\ncomprehensive political, diplomatic, logistical and administrative measures
\ntaken by Romania to facilitate Ukrainian grain exports, including to the
\ncountries in Africa, he added. Klaus Iohannis is to travel on Monday to Cabo
\nVerde, to meet with his counterpart Jos\u00e9 Maria Neves.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
ISRAEL We agree on the principle of
\nno forced displacement of Palestinians and a political horizon based on a
\ntwo-state solution, the European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen
\nsaid at the end of a meeting with the Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi
\nin Cairo on Saturday. In turn, the EU diplomacy chief Josep Borrell said in a
\nconference at Manama on Saturday that the Palestinian Authority is the only one
\nthat could govern Gaza after the war between Israel and Hamas. News agencies
\nmention that a week ago the Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu raised fresh concerns
\nwith respect to the future of Gaza, stating that the Palestinian Authority in
\nits current form should not be taking control of the enclave. The German
\nchancellor Olaf Scholz and Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, meeting in
\nBerlin, voiced their strong disagreement with the war in Gaza. Both Germany and
\nTurkey are worried about the suffering of the Palestinian people, but while Scholz
\nspoke about the need for humanitarian pauses in order to provide aid, Erdogan called
\nfor a ceasefire, an option rejected by Israel. On site, Palestinian medical
\nsources announced that scores of people were killed or wounded on Saturday in Khan
\nYunis, in the south of the Gaza Strip, following Israeli air strikes. On Friday
\nIsrael had announced it would expand military operations in the south, after handing
\nout fliers in Khan Yunis the previous day asking civilians to head for the tent
\ncamps on the sea coast in order to avoid the massive shelling planned by the
\narmy. Israel’s ex-PM Ehud Olmert told Euronews that the Hamas underground
\ncommand centre was in Khan Yunis, and not at the Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
TERRORISM A young Romanian national
\nfrom Bra\u015fov (central Romania) has been taken into custody for promoting
\nterrorist propaganda materials, the Directorate Investigating Organised Crime
\nand Terrorism Offences announced. The young man praised terrorist organisations
\nfrom the Middle East on his social media account, and posted instructions for
\nthe production and use of firearms and explosives. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
CHRISTMAS In the city of Craiova, southern
\nRomania, hundreds of people witnessed the nearly 2 million lights of the local
\nChristmas Fair being turned on Friday night. This year’s fair is themed around
\nthe Andersen’s fairy tale The Snow Queen, and all the decorations are white
\nand turquoise. A giant Christmas tree, a 40m tall merry-go-round and a skating
\nrink are the main attractions. Concerts and creative workshops will also be
\nheld here until the 2nd of January. Sibiu, in central Romania, also
\nopened its Christmas Fair in the city’s main square. For the first time this
\nyear, the Fair includes the courtyard of the Brukenthal Palace, a historical
\nmonument built between 1778 and 1788. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\nAMBASSADOR The foreign minister Lumini\u0163a
\nOdobescu Friday received the new British Ambassador to Romania, Giles Portman. On
\nthis occasion, Mrs. Odobescu highlighted the important role of bilateral
\ncooperation in defence and security and the significant potential in the field
\nof trade and investments, as well as the substantial contribution of the 1.2
\nmillion Romanians living in UK to strengthening the ties between the two
\ncountries. In 2024 Romania will host the second Romania-UK Bilateral Forum,
\nafter the first edition of the event held this March in London. (AMP)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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