March 31, 2023

Click here for a roundup of local and world news

Newsroom, 31.03.2023, 13:55

DEFENCE The strategic partnership between
the US and Romania has never been stronger, said the US secretary of defence,
Lloyd Austin, during the talks with his Romanian counterpart Angel Tîlvăr in
Washington on Thursday. According to a news release from the Pentagon, the US
official praised the excellent relations between the two countries’ armed
forces and thanked Romania for hosting thousands of US and Allied troops to
bolster deterrence on NATO’s eastern flank, and for its role as a leader in the
Black Sea region. The two officials condemned Russia’s reckless war of choice
in Ukraine and reiterated their firm support for Ukraine. The Romanian defence
minister is on a visit to the US for several days, and has meetings scheduled
with senior US officials in the following days.

B9 The meeting of foreign
ministers in the Bucharest 9 format carries on today in Łódź (Poland),
co-chaired by the head of the Romanian diplomacy Bogdan Aurescu and his Polish counterpart, Zbigniew Rau. On
Thursday, the Romanian official announced that the first high-level conference
on security in the Black Sea region will take place in Bucharest on April 13.
During the talks in Lodz, B9 ministers focused on the consequences of Russia’s
war of aggression against Ukraine at regional and Euro-Atlantic level, with an
emphasis on the need to continue supporting Ukraine and to consolidate
trans-Atlantic ties, the Romanian foreign ministry said. In his address, Mr.
Aurescu called on B9 ministers to maintain increased Allied attention and
involvement in the Black Sea region, which has strategic importance for the
entire Euro-Atlantic space, as well as to strengthen trans-Atlantic
coordination. Bogdan Aurescu reiterated Romania’s firm commitment to
further provide multidimensional support to Ukraine. He also encouraged the
Allies on the eastern flank to continue supporting Ukraine’s neighbours, which
are vulnerable to Russia’s aggressive moves, especially Georgia and the
Republic of Moldova, which is facing hybrid threats designed to destabilise the
country and to undermine its EU accession efforts.

VISIT The PM of Romania Nicolae Ciucă travels
to Sweden today, the country that holds the rotating presidency of the EU. His
agenda includes a meeting with his Swedish counterpart Ulf Kristersson. According
to Radio Romania’s correspondent, talks will focus on Russia’s aggression
against Ukraine and its impact on the countries in the region, on the
enlargement of the Schengen area, on the priorities of the Swedish presidency
of the EU Council and on bilateral cooperation, which PM Nicolae Ciucă has
recently described as very good. Nicolae Ciucă will also have a meeting with
the speaker of the Swedish parliament, Andreas Norlén. Also today, the Romanian
head of government will attend a public conference on Threats and
opportunities in the Black Sea region, which will also mark the end of his
visit to Sweden.

GREEN ENERGY The European Commission
vice-president Frans Timmermans travels to Bucharest today, for talks on
the European Green Deal and the bloc’s strategy to switch to a zero-emission
economy. The agenda of the visit includes meetings with president Klaus
Iohannis, with the environment minister Tánczos Barna, and with other
government officials. Frans Timmermans will also have meetings with civil
society members, to discuss ways to fight climate change in Romania and the
role of the European Commission in this respect.

AGRICULTURE
The European Commission intends to revise the amount of compensations granted
to farmers from 5 countries affected by the imports of cheap grains from
Ukraine. The Commission is to disburse another EUR 75 mln, of which Romania
might get EUR 15mln, in addition to the EUR 10mln earmarked already. In an open
letter to the government, Romanian farmers argue however that Romania has lost
a lot more because of the priority and advantages received by Ukrainian
producers in the European market.

TENNIS The Romanian player Sorana Cîrstea
(74 WTA) today takes on Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic (12 WTA), in the
semis of the WTA 1000 tournament in Miami (Florida). Twice a Wimbledon champion (2011,
2014), Kvitova qualified into the semifinals on Thursday, when she defeated
Russia’s Ekaterina Alexandrova in 3 sets. On Wednesday Sorana Cîrstea had outplayed Arina Sabalenka of
Belarus, no 2 in the world. This will be the 11th direct
match between Sorana Cîrstea and Petra Kvitova, with
the Czech athlete winning 6 of them so far. The winner will take on Elena Rybakina
of Kazakhstan in the final. (AMP)