February 22, 2023

Warsaw – The Romanian President Klaus Iohannis is participating, in Warsaw, together with his Polish counterpart, Andrzej Duda, in the extraordinary meeting of the Bucharest 9 (B9) Format, which includes Romania, Poland, the three Baltic states, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary. The summit takes place one year after the start of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, on February 24, 2022, and is meant to continue coordination between the Allies on the Eastern Flank of NATO and the US, against the background of the security challenges generated by the war. According to the Presidential Administration in Bucharest, they will also address the methods of holding Russia accountable, through instruments of international law, for the crimes committed in Ukraine. Special attention will also be given to vulnerable partners, such as the Republic of Moldova, which is facing increased security challenges. The US President Joe Biden and the NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg are invited to the summit. The American leader is in the region to show the support of the United States to Ukraine, one year after the start of the invasion. On Tuesday, the same day when Vladimir Putin gave his State of the Nation address, Joe Biden assured that the West would continue to support Ukraine as long as necessary and pointed out that the North Atlantic Alliance is more united and stronger than ever. Joe Biden arrived in Warsaw after a surprise visit to Kyiv on Monday.

Russian Center - The Romanian Foreign Ministry – MAE announced the suspension of the activity of the Russian Center for Culture and Science in Romania. The Russian ambassador to Bucharest, Valery Kuzmin, was summoned to the headquarters of the Foreign Ministry to be notified of the decision of the Romanian authorities. The Russian diplomat was reminded of the repeated situations in which the Center "deliberately engaged in actions of distorted presentation of reality and historical truth at the level of the Romanian public opinion" shows a Foreign Ministry press release. According to the MAE, the diversions intensified after the illegal invasion of Ukraine by the Russian army. "Through the actions carried out, the center irremediably moved away from the natural objectives of strengthening cultural ties and turned, regrettably, into an instrument of propaganda, disinformation and decriminalization of the war crimes of the Russian Federation in Ukraine", the Romanian Foreign Ministry officials said. The suspension of the Center's activity will take place until August 20 at the latest, the deadline by which the administrative procedures that this decision entails must be completed.

Agri Trade Summit - More than 400 specialists from 13 countries are participating, today, in the Romanian Agri Trade Summit international event, organized in Bucharest. In an online intervention, the Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă stated that access to the internal and external markets of Romanian agri-food products must be a strategic objective of the government program. He added that the Romanian farmers and agribusiness operators are perceived as an extremely important factor in Romania's medium and long-term development. Nicolae Ciucă also said that the country has a major logistical advantage, which must be maximized, something that will allow a more applied export orientation to other areas, such as North Africa, the Middle East and Asia. The Romanian Agri Trade Summit discusses pressing current topics for Agribusiness, which will create the right framework for a complex dialogue between renowned analysts, authorities and the major players on the local and international agricultural market, shows a press release from the organizers.

Reconsolidation - Education institutions in Romania with a high risk in the event of an earthquake will have priority in a process of consolidation and refurbishment through a government program, this is what was established, on Tuesday, in the meeting of the inter-ministerial committee for the analysis of seismic risk, coordinated by the Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă. According to a Government release, it was decided that by Friday, February 24, the Education Ministry should support the local authorities in identifying solutions for relocating children who learn in buildings classified as seismic risk category 1 to safe spaces. 39 buildings belonging to education institutions are included in this category. School activities are currently taking place in 21 of them. 

Moldova - The President of the Republic of Moldova (ex-Soviet republic with a majority Romanian speaking-population), Maia Sandu, will be in Bucharest on a working visit on Thursday, at the invitation of her counterpart, Klaus Iohannis. According to the Presidential Administration, joint projects of strategic interest in the fields of energy, transport, health, education and the information society will be addressed, with an emphasis on initiatives aimed at connecting the Republic of Moldova with the EU space. At the same time, the two will discuss Romania's status and support regarding the European path of the Republic of Moldova Also, the two presidents will exchange views on security challenges, as well as ways to manage the economic, social and humanitarian effects of Russia's aggression in neighboring Ukraine. The Moldovan prime minister, Dorin Recean, will also pay a visit to Bucharest on March 1, this being his first official trip abroad since taking office. (LS)