February 22, 2014
A roundup of domestic and international news.
Ştefan Stoica, 22.02.2014, 13:55
The situation continues to be critical in Kiev, where the oposition has demanded president Viktor Yanukovych to step down and has called for early presidential elections to be held no later than May 25th. The head of parliament resigned and has been replaced by a close ally of the former PM Iulia Timosenko, an opponent of Yanukovych, who is currently in jail. On the other hand, protesters say they have occupied the presidency’s headquarters, while there is unconfirmed an information that president Yanukovych left the capital city. On Friday, Yanukovych and the opposition leaders signed an agreement providing for early presidential elections and the setting up of a national union government. The United Nations, the European Union, the United States and Russia have asked for a quick implementation of this accord, aimed at putting an end to the serious political crisis and to the violence. Street protests started in Ukraine in November 2013, after the country’s president had refused to sign the association agreement with the European Union.
The sustainable and consistent implementation of the agreement signed by the power and opposition in Kiev will ensure the stability and prosperity of the Ukrainian people, the Romanian Foreign Ministry said in a release. Romania has voiced hope that the sides involved in the political crisis in the neighbouring Ukraine will deploy all efforts to avoid, in the future, the escalation of violence. According to the Romanian diplomacy, the recovery of Ukraine’s economy will have to be one of the priorities of the EU, the United States and the international financial institutions.
The situation within the Social Liberal Union, the alliance in power in Romania, might be clarified on Monday, when the deadline set by the National Liberal Party for the Social Democratic Party to say if they agree or not to the Liberals’ proposals, expires. The Social Democratic leader, PM Victor Ponta, has made an appeal to moderation and dialogue in order to save the alliance from breaking, and has voiced hope that solutions will be found to keep the current goverment formula. The co-president of the ruling alliance, the Liberal Crin Antonescu, is suspecting the Social Democratic Party of trying to remove the Liberal Party from the cabinet in order to form a new one, with two smaller patries, namely the Conservative Party and the National Union for the Progress of Romania. If that proves to be the case, the Liberals are determined to ask the prime minister to resign.
Migration does not pose a threat to countries who receive foreigners, but an advantage for both sides. This is one of the conclusions of the conference “Diaspora and Development” held in Brussels under the patronage of the Minister-delegate for Romanians abroad, Cristian David and the Romanian Foreign Ministry.
Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta stated on Friday, in Chisinau, that the Bucharest government would guarantee 80% of the investment made by Romanian companies in the Republic of Moldova. He made it clear that irrespective of the political tensions in Bucharest, Moldova’s bid for the EU is supported at the level of presidency, government and parliament. The Moldovan Prime Minister Iurie Leanca heailed the Romanian authorities’ constant support in this respect and the accords signed in the field of education and emergency medicine.
