September 19, 2017

Click here for a roundup of new from Romania and the world

Newsroom, 19.09.2017, 13:47

Measures — The Romanian government will grant funds from the state budget to cover the damage caused by Sunday’s violent storm that hit several counties in western Romania, the Romanian PM Mihai Tudose has announced. He added that the authorities wanted the implementation of an integrated public alert and warning system for major risk situations, similar to that in other European states. The prime minister has discussed the issue with experts in the field and with the representatives of mobile phone operators. We recall that 8 people died and almost 140 were injured on Sunday during the violent storm that wreaked havoc in 15 counties in the west, center and north of Romania.

UN General Assembly — Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis, who is participating in the 72nd meeting of the UN General Assembly is today meeting in New York with the President of the UN General Assembly Miroslav Lajcak and with his counterparts from Estonia and Egypt. Tuesday’s agenda of President Iohannis also includes participation in the lunch offered by the UN Secretary General, António Guterres, participation in a traditional meeting with the heads of the Jewish organizations in the US, in a reception organized by the EU and in another reception offered by President Donald Trump. On Wednesday, Klaus Iohannis will meet with the Moldovan prime minister Pavel Filip, and will also have a bilateral meeting with the UN Secretary General. On Thursday Klaus Iohannis will go to Philadelphia where he will meet with the representatives of the Romanian community there.

Washington — The Romanian defense minister Mihai Fifor, and the Chief of Staff of the Romanian Army, general Nicolae Ciucă, who are on a 6-day working visit to Washington, are today meeting with the American Secretary of Defense James Mattis, and will lay a wreath of flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Arlington National Cemetery. On Monday, the Romanian delegation participated in a round table discussion with the members of the Atlantic Council hosted by Washington DC. Minister Fifor appreciated the dialogue and the approach adopted by the Atlantic Council in dealing with the trans-Atlantic consolidation of the Romanian-US Strategic Partnership. He added that Romania remained a solid, predictable and trustworthy partner of the US, keeping its pledge to contribute to regional security and stability. In turn, the members of the Atlantic Council have shown interest in the dynamics of regional security and the national outlook on the developments in the Black Sea area.

Schengen — The Schengen area would be stronger and all member states would have benefits if Romania also joined the free movement area, said the European Commissioner for Security Union Julian King, who paid an official visit to Bucharest on Monday. The European Commissioner met with the PM Tudose, with the justice minister Tudorel Toader as well as with members of Romania’s Parliament’s expert committees. The Romanian authorities have made it clear that Romania meets all the criteria for accession to the Schengen area.

Chisinau – Exercise Fire Shield 2017, a multinational, combined training exercise with Moldovan and Romanian troops is unfolding in a military base in the Republic of Moldova. According to a communiqué of the Moldovan Defense ministry, the exercise is meant to jointly train artillery small units and to boost the interoperability level between the two armies. As many as 300 officers and non-commissioned officers of the Moldovan army artillery small units and more than 20 Romanian soldiers are taking part in the exercise, that is unfolding from September 18 to 22. The exercise takes place in the context in which Moldova’s pro-Russian president, Igor Dodon, has recently started a conflict with the government and the leadership of the Defense Ministry over the issue of sending Moldovan military to the “Rapid Trident” drill in Ukraine, on account that the drill was also being attended by troops of NATO member countries. (translation by L. Simion)