21 April, 2017

Bucharest condemns Thursdays terrorist attack in Paris./ Romania hosts the European Gymnastics Championships.

Newsroom, 21.04.2017, 13:42

Paris attack. Bucharest has
joined the international community to condemn Thursday’s attack in France.
Romania expressed solidarity with France and stood for more efficient
prevention. In Paris, French president Francois Hollande today chaired an
interministerial crisis group in the wake of the attack claimed by the Islamic
State terrorist organisation. A policeman was killed and two others wounded by
a man who opened fire on the Champs-Elysées. The attacker, a 39-year-old
Belgian national called Karim Cheurfi, was shot dead by the security forces. He
was previously sentenced to 20 years in prison for shooting at police officers
in 2001 but got an early release in 2016. The French police also issued an
arrest warrant for a second suspect. Tension is high after the Champs-Elysées
attack ahead of the first round of the French presidential elections on Sunday.
The four frontrunners cancelled their public appearances. Two radicalised young
men were arrested three days ago in Marseilles while plotting an attack on
behalf of the Islamic State. France has been in a state of emergency since
2015, when 16 people were killed in attacks at the headquarters of the Charlie
Hebdo magazine and at a Jewish store.

Brexit. Romania is in favour of a unitary, coherent and fair strategy during the future negotiations on the UK’s
exit from the European Union, said the Romanian minister delegate for European
affairs Ana Birchall, who is on a working trip to Austria. According to a
foreign ministry release, during talks with Austrian officials, Birchall also
discussed the multiannual financial framework, migration and the Schengen area,
the EU strategy for the Danube region, the Western Balkans, the Eastern
Partnership and the need to consolidate cooperation in the run up to Austria’s
taking over the EU rotating presidency in the second half of 2018, followed by
Romania in the first half of 2019. The officials pointed out that Romania and
Austria are opposed to the idea of a multi-speed European Union.
Secretary-General for Foreign Affairs Michael Linhart also reiterated his
country’s support for Romania’s entry into Schengen.

Gymnastics. The Romanian gymnasts
Larisa Iordache, Olivia Cimpian and Ioana Crisan have qualified for the beam,
floor and individual all-round finals at the European Gymnastics Championships
under way in Cluj Napoca, north-western Romania. Three times Olympic champion
Catalina Ponor has made it to the beam and individual all-round finals. She
failed to qualify for the floor final after the judges reviewed her score. 274
gymnasts from 37 different countries, including 10 from Romania, are taking
part in the competition. The Romanian women’s team roster features Olivia
Cimpian, Ioana Crisan, Larisa Iordache and Catalina Ponor, while the men’s team
roster features Marian Dragulescu, Cristian Bataga, Vlad Cotuna, Adelin
Kotrong, Laurentiu Nistor and Andrei Ursache. Only one Romanian male gymnast
has made it to the apparatus finals, namely Marian Dragulescu, who qualified
for the floor and vault finals. The last time Romania hosted the European
Gymnastics Championships was in 1957.

Tennis. The
Romanian women’s tennis team faces Britain in a Fed Cup World Group II play-off at
home. The matches are held on Saturday and Sunday in the Black Sea resort of
Mamaia. The Romanian team includes world no. 5 Simona Halep, world no. 33 Irina
Camelia Begu, world no. 47 Monica Niculescu and world no. 61 Sorana Cirstea. The
British team has two players in the top 100: world no. 10 Johanna Konta and
world no. 72 Heather Watson. Romania has met Britain five times so far in the
Fed Cup, winning four times.