November 26, 2018
President Iohannis inaugurates the Romania-France Cultural Season in Paris; Romania is deeply concerned by the recent Russia-Ukraine incident in the Black Sea
România Internațional, 26.11.2018, 13:53
PARIS – President Klaus Iohannis begins a two day official visit to Paris to inaugurate the Romania- France Cultural Season. Tomorrow, at the Georges Pompidou Center, he joins French President Emmanuel Macron at the launch of the event. The two heads of state will visit Brancusis atelier, the exhibition dedicated to Romanian peasant garb as seen in the work of French painter Henri Matisse and Romanian painter Theodor Pallady, as well as contemporary exhibitions. Iohannis and Macron will hold official talks, confirming the special bilateral relations enjoyed by the two countries, as well as talks aimed at strengthening the strategic partnership, consolidating economic cooperation and the role of the Romanian community in France. Klaus Iohannis will meet today representatives of the Romanian community at the embassy in Paris. The Romania- France Cultural Season will occasion over 400 events between late November 2018 and mid-April 2019 in France, and continues in Romania until mid-July 2019. The Cultural Season includes cultural manifestations, as well as events related to education, innovation, as well as business, cuisine, tourism, and sports.
BLACK SEA — The Romanian Foreign Ministry expressed deep concern toward the recent naval conflict between Russia and Ukraine in the Black Sea. The reaction comes after Russian intelligence confirmed that their coast guard had captured three Ukrainian ships in the Black Sea. According to the ministry, aggression and violations of international law undermines the security of the entire region. Representatives of the ministry said that Romania fully supports Ukraines territorial integrity and sovereignty, and its right to use its territorial waters. The UN Security Council will convene in emergency session to debate the incident in the Black Sea. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko proposed for Parliament to declare martial law. In the incident, Russian patrol ships captured three Ukrainian ships close to the Crimean Peninsula. At least two Ukrainian seamen were injured in the incident. Russia said that the Ukrainian ships were violating its territorial waters in spite of warnings.
MOSCOW – The second cemetery for Romanian soldiers fallen on the Eastern Front in WWII has been inaugurated in Russia today in the Krasnodar region. According to Radio Romanias correspondent in Russia, the first move is to rebury there the remains of 88 soldiers and officers who lost their lives on the frontlines in the Kuban region, who had been initially interred in 8 local villages. The Romanian cemetery will be part of a memorial complex with the resting places of German, Slovakian, and Hungarian soldiers. The first Romanian cemetery for servicemen fallen in WWII in Russia was inaugurated in 2015 close to Volvograd, formerly Stalingrad, holding the remains of 1,644 soldiers.
FESTIVAL- Sunday night, the Irish Radio and Television Orchestra brought to a close the 4th edition of the RadiRo International Radio Orchestra Festival. For a week, the festival featured prestigious symphony orchestras from all over Europe. For the first time this year, the festival featured jazz recitals.
AWARDS — The Romanian National Radio Drama production The Confession is shortlisted for Best European Drama at the 2019 BBC Audio Drama Awards. The script is signed by Doina Papp, and is an adaptation of Dostoevskys Demons, directed by Ilinca Stihi. The BBC Audio Drama Awards are given for the originality and quality of audio productions on air and on-line, in recognition of the artistic merit of actors, scriptwriters, producers and sound engineers. The finalists will be announced on 8 January, and the award ceremony will be held on February 3 at the BBC Broadcasting House in London.
EPIDEMIC — New cases of African swine fever have been confirmed in the last few days in the counties of Giurgiu and Olt, in southern Romania. According to the Veterinary Authority, cases of the disease have been spotted in almost 300 localities in 17 counties. In an attempt to combat the epidemic, the authorities have decided to cull the wild population of boar and jackal in the Danube Delta. They hope that by next year they will be able to capture the entire population of the two species in the wildlife reserve in order to reduce the risk of spreading swine fever. So far, the epidemic has resulted in the culling of over 360,000 domestic pigs. African swine fever does not affect humans, but has dire economic consequences.
