March 21, 2017 UPDATE
Click here for a roundup of domestic and international news
Newsroom, 21.03.2017, 19:56
CSAT Romania’s Higher Defence Council, which convened in Bucharest on Tuesday, approved the mandate with which the Romanian delegation is to participate in the NATO summit due in Brussels this spring. The reconfirmation of the transatlantic relation, the strategic importance of the Black Sea and the recognition of Romania’s contribution to NATO are all issues our delegation will focus on at the upcoming NATO summit, Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis has announced. The president has also approved the participation of a Romanian unit in the NATO task force in Poland and briefed Parliament on the deployment of a 120 strong Romanian contingent and their equipment. Iohannis has also announced he approved the programme on streamlining, developing and fitting the Romanian army with proper equipment until 2026 and in the future as a result of earmarking 2% of the GDP for the Defence Ministry.
CANNES Romanian director Cristian Mungiu will be presiding Cinefondation and the jury for short reels at the 70th edition of the Cannes Film Festival, after in 2013 he was a member of the jury led by American director Steven Spielberg. The announcement was posted by the organizers on the Festival’s site. After winning Palme d’Or in 2007 with his movie ‘4 months, 3 weeks and 2 days’ Mungiu got the best script award for his film Beyond the Hills in 2012, while Cosmina Stratan and Cristina Flutur shared best actor award. Mungiu was also awarded in Cannes for best direction with a film entitled Graduation (2016). Cinefondation is a foundation under the aegis of the Cannes Film Festival, which was created to inspire and encourage the young generations of filmmakers. Mungiu said he was proud to encourage young film directors to express themselves boldly and have their own voice. The festival is due over May 17th and 28th.
AWARD The French section of Radio Romania International won the Francophonie Award, granted by the group of Francophone embassies, delegations and institutions in Romania. Our colleagues were handed the award yesterday, on the International Day of La Francophonie, for their outstanding contribution to promoting the French language and the values of La Francophonie in Romania. Also yesterday, in central Bucharest, a bust was unveiled, in memory of Leopold Sedar Senghor, co-founder of La Francophonie. Many cultural, artistic and scientific events were also organized abroad, by Romania’s diplomatic missions. The International Francophonie Day is celebrated on March 20th every year. Romania has been a member of this organization since 1993.
CEREMONY The southeastern Romanian port city of Constanta on Tuesday hosted a repatriation ceremony for the Romanian troops in Battalion 341 Infantry, known as “the White Sharks.” Between August 2016 and March 2017 they took part in the NATO-led mission Resolute Support in Kandahar province, Afghanistan. The 420 soldiers were in charge of security at the Kandahar Airport and the coalition forces deployed there. According to data made public by the Defence Ministry, 25 Romanian military died in missions in Afghanistan, in which Romania has been taking part since 2001 as a member of the international coalitions led by NATO and the USA. Over 100 other troops have been wounded in missions in that country.
