October 14, 2014

For a roundup of domestic and international news, click here.

Ştefan Stoica, 14.10.2014, 12:00

ACCUSATIONS — Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta has today dismissed the allegations voiced by president Traian Basescu, according to whom Ponta simultaneously held the offices of prosecutor and undercover officer of the Romanian Intelligence Service between 1997 and 2001. The president said that during this period Ponta found himself in a position of incompatibility, since under the law he couldn’t serve as both magistrate and an undercover agent. In addition, Traian Basescu claims that in 2013 Victor Ponta’s Cabinet passed an ordinance, without the approval of the country’s Superior Defence Council, whereby the identity and activity of former intelligence officers would also become object of a non-disclosure provision. The president believes the ordinance was specifically meant to protect Ponta and that the Government passed it with the complicity of former Romanian Intelligence director Teodor Melescanu. Traian Basescu accuses the former of violating the law which clearly stipulates the president has unrestricted access to highly-classified information.

UKRAINE — Clashes in Eastern Ukraine between pro-Russian separatists and Ukrainian security forces will dominate today’s discussions between US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Serghei Lavrov in Paris. According to France Presse news agency, the meeting precedes Friday’s meeting between Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Parliament has appointed Stepan Poltorak as the country’s new Defence Minister, the fourth in the last nine months. In another development, Ukrainian authorities have confirmed the first signs of the withdrawal of Russian troops from the border, a measure Vladimir Putin has announced recently.

VISIT — Russian president Vladimir Putin on Thursday is paying a visit to Serbia, a EU hopeful country, France Presse reports. The Russian leader will attend ceremonies marking 70 years since the liberation of Belgrade with the assistance of Russian troops. Since the beginning of the crisis in Eastern Ukraine in November 2013, the Serbian diplomacy has maintained a fragile balance between meeting its obligations towards the EU, witch which it has started accession negotiations this January, and keeping good relations with Russia, a country that over the years has supported Belgrade in delicate international issues, such as the independence of the Kossovo province, which Russia does not recognize. To Moscow it is important that Serbia’s relations with the European Union should not endanger its partnership with Belgrade or the country’s interests, France Presse also reports.

EBOLA — The United Kingdom has as of today introduced additional medical controls on London Heathrow airport for passengers inbound from Western Africa against the backdrop of the Ebola scare. In another development, the Italian presidency of the European Union has announced additional controls on international airports for passengers coming from Western African countries, which will be at the top of the agenda of Thursday’s meeting of EU Health Ministers in Brussels. The closer monitoring of travellers coming from areas with high health risks will also be tackled by the Committee for Health Safety, a European Forum of experts addressing the Ebola epidemic. According to the World Health Organization, over 4,000 people have died of hemorrhagic fever since the outbreak of the epidemic.

CONSULTATIONS — Military leaders from 21 countries of the US-led international coalition combating the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq are today meeting in Washington for a round of consultations. Attending the meeting will be the 5 Arab nations that have taken on an active role in the US-coordinated air strikes. Talks will focus on training and equipping security forces in Syria and Iraq. The meeting takes place against the backdrop of the advance of Islamic militants in towns in western Iraq and clashes between jihadists and Kurds in Kobane, a city located on the Turkish border.

FORECAST — The forecast of the Economist Intelligence Unit for South-eastern Europe will be made public during the EU Summit for South-eastern Europe to be held on October 20-21 in Bucharest. Attending the official opening of the event will be the president of the Socialist International former Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou and former Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta. The summit will focus, among others, on political, energy and banking prospects for this region.

FOOTBALL — Romania’s national football team is today playing Finland away from home, in a match counting towards the EURO 2016 Group F. This will be the third match for the Romanian footballers, which so far have defeated Greece 1-nil and drew against Hungary on Saturday 1-all. Northern Ireland is topping the group tables with six points, followed by Finland and Romania, each with four points, Hungary and Greece with one point each and the Faeroe Islands with zero points. Romania last qualified to a European Championship in 2008.