March 3, 2015 UPDATE
A roundup of domestic and world news
Roxana Vasile, 03.03.2015, 13:05
The Romanian Intelligence Service and the FBI will continue to strengthen their dialogue and cooperation, particularly in cyber security, in fighting organised crime, terrorism and corruption as well as in countering espionage, the head of the Romanian Intelligence Service Eduard Hellvig said on Tuesday, after talks with the FBI head, James Comey. Hellvig pointed out that the first official visit of the FBI director to Romania took place against the backdrop of major challenges against regional and global geopolitical stability, which give special importance to fighting those actions that weaken the rule of law. Eduard Hellvig mentioned that Romanian intelligence officers benefited from training sessions with the best FBI experts, and the expertise gained as a result is a major contribution to the efficiency of the Romanian Intelligence Service. In turn, James Comey said the partnership with the Romanian Intelligence Service is one of the best that the FBI has in the world. The head of the US Federal Bureau of Investigations had meetings on Tuesday with the president of Romania Klaus Iohannis, with PM Victor Ponta, the chiefs of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate and of the Directorate Investigating Organised Crime and Terrorism, and with the prosecutor general of Romania.
The Higher Defence Council, convened on Tuesday in Bucharest, approved PM Victor Ponta’s proposals regarding the entry and stationing in Romania, in May – June 2015, of Portuguese military equipment and troops, namely four F-16 Falcon aircraft and their nearly 150-strong military and civilian personnel, in view of preparing and conducting NATO Air Police missions. On the other hand, the Council members said Romania’s consistent support for Ukraine, since the start of the crisis in the neighbouring country, marked an unprecedented openness of the authorities in Kiev towards bilateral cooperation with Romania. The Higher Defence Council also believes that the Western Balkans should be included in an overall approach to South-East Europe, which should strengthen Romania’s strategic role in the region. This was the first meeting of the Council under the new president, Klaus Iohannis.
The Romanian carmaker Dacia presented on Tuesday, at the 85th Geneva International Motor Show, the anniversary, limited-edition versions of its models. The sales of Dacia, a company held by the French group Renault, went up 19% last year, to 511,000 vehicles, with France as the main market. The best selling model is Sandero, 80% of which have been sold in Western Europe. Second comes the Duster, with Romania, France and Spain as market leaders. The Geneva Motor Show is open to the public until March the 15th.
Thousands of people paid tribute to the leading Russian opposition politician Boris Nemtsov, whose funerals were held Tuesday in Moscow. One of the most vocal critics of the Putin regime, Nemtsov was shot dead a few days ago near Kremlin. According to the investigators, the attack had been carefully planned. They say they do not rule out any scenario: a political murder designed to destabilise the country; an Islamist attack or a murder related to the conflict in Ukraine, perpetrated by “radical elements”. The President of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, said Boris Nemtsov was shot dead because he had intended to make public evidence on Moscow’s involvement in the secessionist conflict in Ukraine. The White House leader, Barack Obama, called for a thorough investigation into the murder of the Russian politician.
The Iranian regime is a threat to Israel and to world peace, the Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday before the US Congress. Israel opposes the current talks on Tehran’s nuclear programme, which according to Netanyahu, cannot prevent the Iranians from producing atomic weapons, and would lead to a nuclear arms race in the Middle East. The US president, Barack Obama, says however that the Israeli Prime Minister’s concern is unjustified and that an agreement is more efficient than a military intervention.
