June 10, 2019 UPDATE

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Newsroom, 10.06.2019, 20:19

MINISTERS The new ministers of Justice, European Funds and of the Romanians
All Over the World, were sworn in on Monday in the presence of Romania’s
president Klaus Iohannis. At the end of last week, president Iohannis signed
the decrees through which Ana Birchall was appointed Justice Minister, Roxana
Manzatu became Minister of European Funds and Natalia Intotero took over the
Ministry for the Romanians All Over the World. Iohannis turned down a proposal
that Titus Corlatean took over the seat of Deputy Prime Minister for the
Implementation of Strategic Partnerships, so far held by Ana Birchall and
called on Prime Minister Viorica Dancila to nominate somebody else for that
position. The president blames Corlatean for the disastrous situation in the
2014 election, when he was Romania’s Foreign Minister and tens of thousands
Romanians from abroad were unable to cast their ballot.

GOVERNMENT The first meeting of the government of the Republic of Moldova,
an ex-Soviet Romanian-speaking country, led by pro-European Maia Sandu, took
place on Monday in spite of the Constitutional Court having invalidated the new
cabinet’s investiture. Two high-ranking officials, including the police chief
were sacked during the aforementioned meeting. In another development Maia
Sandu has given assurances the government will succeed in unblocking foreign
funding, particularly from the EU. The government meeting was hosted by
Parliament because the members of the fresh cabinet have been denied access to
the government building, which is presently controlled by the incumbent Prime
Minister Pavel Filip, who is continuing his activity defying the latest
Parliament decisions, including the investiture of the new cabinet. The
Democratic Party has invited all Parliamentary parties to a political dialogue,
mainly the Socialist Party and the ACUM bloc with a view to identifying
solutions for overcoming the present political crisis. A close ally of the
controversial politician and businessman Vladimir Plahotniuc and designated by
the Court to take over the prerogatives of the country’s president from the
pro-Russian leader Igor Dodon, Pavel Filip announced the dismantling of
Parliament and called for snap election in September.

TALKS Romania’s minister delegate for
European affairs, George Ciamba, on Monday held talks with Gent Cakaj, the
incumbent minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of Albania during the
latter’s visit to Romania. The two ministers reviewed the stage of Albania’s
preparations for opening accession negotiations with the EU, the bilateral
relations between the two countries and the latest developments in the Western
Balkans. George Ciamba reiterated Romania’s staunch support for Albania’s EU
accession announcing Romania’s readiness to assist Tirana in the accession process.

DRILL Around
8,000 military from six countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria,
Romania, Hungary and the US) are taking part until the 24th of June
in the Saber Guardian 2019 multinational exercise. The exercise is led by US
Army Europe and the Romanian Land Forces and is hosted by Bulgaria, Romania and
Hungary. Its main aim is to highlight the cohesion, unity and solidarity
between partner and allied states in the face of any possible form of
aggression, in particular through rapid mobilisation and deployment of troops
anywhere in Europe. Shooting exercises are held at the shooting ranges in
Cincu, Borduşani, Babadag, Smârdan and Râşnov.

(translated by bill)