May 14, 2022
A roundup of local and international news.
Newsroom, 14.05.2022, 14:30
DIPLOMACY — The Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu is attending an informal meeting of the North Atlantic Council (NAC) at the level of Ministers of Foreign Affairs held in Berlin, Germany, on 14-15 May 2022. The meeting is chaired by the NATO Deputy Secretary General, Mircea Geoana. Following discussions in previous months, the ministers are expected to address the situation in Ukraine, as well as the military blocs reaction to the changing security environment. Also, the meeting prepares the NATO summit to be held in Madrid in June. Bogdan Aurescu will reiterate, in Berlin, Romania’s support for NATO’s Open Door policy and hail Finland’s and Sweden’s intention to join the alliance. Moreover, Aurescu will highlight the importance of continuing the consolidation of NATO’s defence and deterrence posture on the Eastern Flank, especially at the Black Sea.
COMMEMORATION — Romanian PM Nicolae Ciuca, in a message conveyed today, on the National Day of honouring the martyrs from the communist prisons, said that the sacrifice of tens of thousands of opponents of the communist regime arrested and convicted 74 years ago, “is at the foundation of our free and democratic path, of European and Euro-Atlantic state”. According to the PM, Romanians have the duty to consolidate this path for the next generations. He reminded of the wave of political arrests on the night of May 14 — May 15, 1948, orchestrated by the oppressive communist regime of that time. Ciuca also mentioned the decades of communist dictatorship that followed, when millions of Romanians were oppressed. Thousands of young people, intellectuals, representatives of the Church and many other Romanians who dared to oppose a regime hostile to freedom and democracy were imprisoned and subjected to serious violations of fundamental freedoms. Many of them died in prisons and forced labour camps. Ciuca also said that today we mark the National Day of Honouring the martyrs in the communist prisons with the thought that the democratic destiny of Romania that they dreamed of, has become a reality.
PROTESTS — Trade unionists with the Romanian Post national company have today protested in front of the government offices to signal the problems they are facing. According to a release, the main issue is the high poverty of the Romanian Post employees, most of them having a monthly net salary of less than 340 euros. Protesters are also denouncing the fact that the company’s general director refuses any negotiation regarding salaries and fear redundancies.
MUSEUMS – The Night of Museums will be celebrated with over 200 cultural events on Saturday night in 87 towns and cities in Romania. More than 60 cultural sites and unconventional spaces will stay open in Bucharest in the largest such event since the pandemic. The Bucharest City Hall will be opened to visitors, with events showcasing the history and architecture of the palace hosting it. Some of the most popular tourist sites in Romania, such as Bran Castle, Peleş Castle and Făgăraş Citadel, have also prepared surprises for their guests. The European Night of Museums is an event that takes place across Europe.
EUROVISION – Romanias representative in the Eurovision song contest, WRS, who on Thursday night qualified into this years final of the European competition, with a song called “Llámame”, will take the stage this evening in the Italian city of Tourin. Romania had failed to qualify to the finals in the previous 3 editions of the competition. The band Zdob si Zdub and Advahov Brothers, representing the Republic of Moldova, are also performing in the final. (EE)
