February 8, 2013 UPDATE
Click here for a roundup of domestic and international news.
Roxana Vasile, 08.02.2014, 12:10
ECONOMY-Romania has completed the process of decreasing the monetary policy interest rate. This week’s cut is likely to be the last to be operated in a rather long period of time, says the vice-governor of the National Bank of Romania, Bogdan Olteanu, in an interview to “Wall Street Journal”. Olteanu has also said that economic stability might convince foreign investors that it is worth doing business in Romania in the future, too, and not to withdraw from this country, as they do on other markets affected by turmoil.
REACTION TO LEAKED PHONE CONVERSATION-The President of the European Council, Herman van Rompuy, deems as unacceptable the statement the US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, Victoria Nuland, has made on the EU, against the backdrop of the political crisis in Ukraine, FP reports. A leaked private phone conversation between Victoria Nuland and the US ambassador to Ukraine, Geoffrey Pyatt, was made public on Thursday. Nuland was heard using an expletive on the EU’s handling of the crisis in Ukraine. According to a spokesperson for the US Department of State, the US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, Victoria Nuland, is said to have privately apologised to EU officials.
SOCHI– The first medals were grabbed in Sochi, on Saturday, at the 22nd edition of the Winter Olympic Games, which were officially opened on Friday evening by a grandiose ceremony. Competing in the most expensive edition of the Winter Olympic Games in history, are some 3,000 athletes from 88 countries. Romania, is represented by 24 athletes, who are competing in 8 sporting events.
UKRAINE– Russia has temporarily frozen delivery of a 15 billion dollar bailout programme it promised to Ukraine in December, of which it has already disbursed 3 billion dollars, Russian finance minister Anton Siluanov said on Saturday. The announcement was made following Friday evening’s meeting in Sochi between the Russian and Ukrainian presidents, Vladimir Putin and Viktor Yanukovych, respectively. The financial aid was suspended in the wake of the recent resignation tendered by the Ukrainian cabinet, led by Mikola Azarov. Anton Siluanov has said Russia will comply with the commitments it has made, but the disbursement of a new instalment is left pending, until the formation of a new government in Kiev. We recall that Ukraine is going through a deep political crisis, after Kiev’s refusal to continue its rapprochement to the EU, preferring, in exchange, to get closer to Russia.
TRAVEL ALERT-The Romanian Foreign Ministry on Saturday issued a warning for Romanian citizens travelling to Bosnia and Herzegovina, because of protest movements underway there. Tuzla, Sarajevo, Zenica, Bihac, Kakanj and Mostar have been the stage of wide-scale protests. The rallies, started on Wednesday, are of an unprecedented scale, since the end of the inter-community war waged between 1992 and 1995, and have been caused by the falling living standard in that country.
RUGBY– Romania’s national rugby team on Saturday defeated Russia 34-3, in an away match counting for the European Nations’ Cup. Last week, Romania won to Portugal, 24-0. The Romanian team is scheduled to meet Spain on February 22nd, Belgium on March 8th and Georgia a week later, in the last group match. Romania ranks first in the standings, being followed by Georgia and Russia.
