January 18, 2023 UPDATE

A roundup of local and international news.

Newsroom, 18.01.2023, 19:27

CONDOLENCES — The Romanian Interior Minister, Lucian Bode, has voiced his regret at the tragic helicopter crash in which his Ukrainian counterpart Denys Monastyrsky lost his life, alongside his first deputy minister and state secretary. 14 people died when the helicopter came down on a kindergarten in Brovary, near Kyiv on Wednesday. Among the nine victims in the helicopter were also first deputy minister Yevhen Yenin and state secretary Yurii Lubkovich. In his turn, the Romanian Defence Minister Angel Tîlvăr also conveyed his condolences to the Ukrainian government and people. Authorities consider three possible causes of the crash, namely, breaking flight regulations, technical problems or deliberate action.

PROJECTS – The coalition government in Romania approved on Wednesday a financing contract worth 50 million euro, through the European Investment Bank, for priority investments in road safety projects in Romania. The contract was signed in Bucharest and Luxembourg, last December. Also on Wednesday, the Government passed the National Strategy on Education for the Environment and Climate Change 2023 — 2030. The document sets clear actions for raising awareness, among children and young people, over environmental problems.

OSCE – Romania has taken over the one-year presidency of the OSCE Security Committee, a body subsidiary to the OSCE Permanent Council. The Committee is tasked, among others, with discussing non-military and political security aspects. More precisely, Romania will support the achievement of OSCEs goals with respect to combating human trafficking, border management and the fight against terrorism. In cooperation with the organisations current presidency, held this year by North Macedonia, Romania will pay special attention to fulfilling the commitments made by all the participating countries and will facilitate the consolidation of international efforts to combat transnational and security threats. Romania previously held the presidency of the OSCE Security Committee in 2015 and 2016.

AIRCRAFT – AWACS surveillance planes usually based in Germany will for the first time carry out surveillance flights over the eastern part of NATO territory from Romania. The planes are able to track and identify other aircraft over 400 km away. The German ambassador to Bucharest Peer Gebauer said the German troops mission in Romania is an important signal of trans-Atlantic and European solidarity.

CONCLUSIONS – Romania maintains, in 2023, the main coordinates of its foreign policy, that focus on consolidating the country’s place and role within NATO and the EU and strengthening Romanias strategic alliance with the US, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis told foreign ambassadors in Bucharest on Tuedsay. Iohannis also said Romania handled very well the unprecedented situation at the EU and NATO border, generated by the war started by Russia in Ukraine.

AID – Romanias coalition government is to approve a draft order to provide emergency foreign humanitarian aid to Ukraine out of the countrys state reserves. The aid is intended for the protection of the population in the context of the war in the neighboring country, including food products worth over 80,000 euros. (EE)