July 5, 2015 UPDATE

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Mihai Pelin, 05.07.2015, 12:30

During a rally in Chisinau, 30 thousand citizens in the Republic
of Moldova gave a favourable vote on a resolution concerning the union of this
ex-soviet Romanian-speaking country with neighboring Romania. The meeting had
been staged by NGOs from the two countries, who said that ‘only united we can
face the challenges of the future, we can live better in our country, a bigger
country, without interior borders without limitations with a common and
prosperous destiny for all Romanians.’ The event was being held in a public
area, which also hosted the anti-soviet meetings of 1989 and 1990 and, where in
August 1991, another Big National Assembly hailed the Moldovan Parliament’s
proclamation of the country’s independence from Moscow. We recall the present
Republic of Moldova was created on a part of the Romanian territories annexed
by the USSR following an ultimatum in 1940.

A major military drill involving Romanian
warships started in the Black Sea, close to the Bulgarian port of Varna. The
manoeuvres staged by the North Atlantic Alliance until July 12th
involve the participation of over 30 ships, 10 planes and 17 hundred soldiers
from Bulgaria, Romania, Greece, the United States and Turkey. The naval
exercise Breeze 2015, which is being held according to NATO standard
procedures, has as its main objective improving operational compatibility in
order to be able to face crisis situations. American destroyer USS Porter is
expected to enter the Black Sea on July 5th to promote peace and
stability in the region, a US Navy official communiqué informs. The ship will
serve to reaffirm the US dedication and commitment towards strengthening the partnerships
and joint operational capabilities amongst U.S., NATO and regional Black Sea
partners, the communiqué also says.

Romanian tennis player Monica Niculescu will be meeting Timea
Bacsinszky of Switzerland on Monday in the eighth finals of the Wimbledon
tournament, the year’s third Grand Slam. Monica obtained her best personal
performance in the Wimbledon tournament, which she had attended eight times.
Also in the eights, Romanian-Indian pair Florin Mergea-Rohan Bopanna, seeded 9th,
will be playing Polish-Byelorussian pair Lukasz Kubot-Max Mirnii. Romanian
Horia Tecau will be also playing in the doubles together with Dutch Julien
Rojer. The two will be taking on the Australian pair Lleyton Hewitt / Thanasi
Kokkinakis.