March 15, 2022 UPDATE

A roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 15.03.2022, 20:00

TALKS – NATO’s eastern flank must be consolidated in the Baltic Sea
area in the context of the war in Ukraine in order to prevent any conflict in
this area, Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis said on Tuesday at the end of
talks held in Bucharest with his Bulgarian counterpart, Rumen Radev. President
Iohannis also underlined that security and stability in the Black Sea region
are extremely important, and each riparian state has a responsibility to ensure
it. On the other hand, the two presidents also discussed about diversifying
energy sources and transport routes, in the context of curbing energy
dependency on the Russian Federation. I have also underscored the importance
of rendering the Bulgaria-Greece pipeline operational as soon as possible,
Klaus Iohannis also said. Once finalized, the pipeline can be connected to the
BRUA pipeline, which is already operational, the president argued. In turn,
Bulgaria’s president, Rumen Radev, pointed out the need for interconnectivity
between Bulgaria and Romania in terms of transport, energy, digitization and
new natural gas connections.

MEETING – Romania’s Defense Minister, Vasile Dîncu, on Tuesday met his
Belgian counterpart, Ludivine Dedonder, at Base 57 in Mihail Kogălniceanu.
According to a Ministry release, the Romanian official referred to the
seriousness of the situation generated by the invasion of the Russian
Federation in Ukraine, which has fundamentally changed the European and
Euro-Atlantic security paradigm. Vasile Dîncu thanked his Belgian counterpart
for the deployment to Romania of 300 military and equipment as part of NATO’s
Rapid Response Force, a measure adopted at NATO level to consolidate the
eastern flank. Another topic tackled during the meeting focused on Romania’s
actions to support Ukraine. Minister Vasile Dîncu spoke about the opening of the
logistics hub in Suceava which helps send humanitarian aid from abroad to
Ukraine, and also referred to the management of the flow of refugees. The
Romanian official hailed the good cooperation between Romania and Belgium and referred
to the excellent partnership with the Military Hospital in Brussels, which
helped treat Romanian patients with serious burns.

WAR IN URKAINE – Almost all of Russia’s advance has been halted for
several days, despite sustained bombing, the US State Department said.
According to this assessment, the Russians have neither air superiority nor
control over some of Ukraine’s major cities. On Tuesday morning, the center of
Kyiv was shaken by several powerful explosions, but it is not clear if it was a
Russian attack or the noise from the Ukrainian air defense systems, BBC
reports. City residents are preparing for a possible siege. Ukraine accuses
Russia of bombing civilians. The head of the Organization for Security and
Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau, has
described Russia’s attacks on Ukrainian civilians as state terrorism. He
believes that Russian troops have begun to attack the civilian population and
infrastructure to demoralize the Ukrainians. The diplomat called on Russia to
engage in dialogue in order to find a peaceful solution. On Tuesday,
negotiations resumed, with Kyiv calling for a ceasefire and the withdrawal of
Russian troops from Ukraine. Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, mainly
demanded that Ukraine remain neutral and demilitarized, the recognition of
Russia’s sovereignty in Crimea and self-determination for the separatist
republics in Donbas.

PIRANHA – The Bucharest Mechanical
Plant will be manufacturing Piranha 5 armored vehicles in partnership with
General Dynamics European Land Systems (GDELS). Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă
and Economy Minister, Florin Spătaru, on Tuesday attended the ceremony that
marked the signing of the association agreement. According to Minister Spătaru,
this could signal a strategic and sustainable partnership between Romania and
the United States. Romania has the necessary human resources, potential and
will to reach the same standards as all other members of the North Atlantic
Treaty Alliance and the European Union, Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă said. In
turn, Alfonso Ramonet, the president of GDELS, said this is just the beginning,
and that the company he represents would like to manufacture more products in
Romania.

REFUGEES – EU Health Ministers on
Tuesday met in videoconference format to coordinate their actions in order to receive
people wounded in the war in Ukraine, chronic patients and refugees from this
country. Health Minister Alexandru Rafila invoked the sanitary resources
Romania has already provided to the victims of the war in neighboring Ukraine,
and reiterated Romania’s decision to provide medical care to all refugees
coming in from Ukraine. The Romanian official said special vaccination centers
will soon be opened in the border area, where refugees can get vaccinated, a
measure aimed at preventing the appearance of new hotbeds. (VP)