June 7, 2014 UPDATE
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Florentin Căpitănescu, 07.06.2014, 12:05
CEREMONY — Romania’s president Traian Basescu on Saturday attended the investiture ceremony of his Ukrainian counterpart pro-Western president Petro Poroshenko. Elected after an early presidential ballot on May 25 after six months of internal protests, followed by the annexation of Crimea to the Russian Federation and rising tensions in Eastern Ukraine, Poroshenko said the main priority of his term was to ensure the stability in Russian-speaking regions. Upon being sworn in office, Poroshenko said he would not compromise to Russia over his country’s European path and the status of Crimea other than Ukrainian territory. In turn, president Basescu expressed support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
VISIT – Three members of the US Senate Committee for Foreign Affairs visited Romania on Saturday. Former Republican president candidate John McCain, his colleague Ron Johnson and Democrat Chris Murphy met with president Traian Basescu, representatives of the Government and Romanian MPs. Seen as two of the most influential US Congressmen and famous for the vocal opposition to Moscow, McCain and Johnson also visited the Republic of Moldova in April to express US support to the pro-Western power in Chisinau, against the backdrop of rising tensions in neighbouring Ukraine. The visit to Bucharest follows after last month US vice-president Joe Biden visited Romania, while Pentagon leader Chuck Hagel met Romanian Defence Minister Mircea Dusa on Thursday in Constanta on the Romanian Black Sea Coast.
CONGRESS — The People’s Movement Party on Saturday elected former Liberal-Democrat Minister Elena Udrea as its new leader. Udrea was elected leader over second-favourite Daniel Funeriu, also a former Liberal Democrat MP. Elena Udrea said the candidate for the presidential elections of November will be Cristian Diaconescu, former Social-Democrat minister, seen as a close advisor to president Traian Basescu. At the latest European Parliament elections the newly founded party grabbed 6% of the votes, obtaining two of Romania’s 32 seats in the European Parliament.
TENNIS — Romanian tennis player Simona Halep ranked 4th in WTA standings lost on Saturday the Roland Garros finals against Maria Sharapova of Russia. As of Monday, Halep will be ranked 3rd in WTA standings. This was the first time that Halep, who has been declared the woman tennis player with the greatest ascension in 2013, qualified to a Grand Slam final. The last woman tennis player from Romania to play in a Grand Slam final was Virginia Ruzici, back in 1980, also at the Roland Garros, a tournament that she had won years before, in 1978.
COMMEMORATION — A Romanian folk art monument devoted to the 66,000 Romanian military killed, wounded or reported MIA in the war against Nazi troops in Czechoslovakia in WWII was unveiled in Dobroutov, the Czech Republic. The Romanian Foreign Ministry writes a crucifix will be placed where on June 2, 1945 a wooden cross was raised by Romanian soldiers in the memory of those who lost their lives in battle. The ceremony marking the event follows after the Czech Republic celebrated 69 years since the end of WWII and 20 years since it signed the Treaty of Friendly and Cooperation Relations with Romania.
PILGRIMAGE — Some one hundred thousand Christians from all over the world on Saturday arrived on Mount Sumuleul Mic near Miercurea Ciuc, central Romania, to attend a Pentecost pilgrimage. Attending the pilgrimage was also be Hungarian president Janos Ader, who is on his first visit to Romania alongside his wife. The pilgrimage to Mount Sumuleu is considered on the largest events of its kind in Central and Eastern Europe, and has been a tradition for over four centuries.
