February 22, 2023 UPDATE

Warsaw. The leaders of the Bucharest 9 (B9) format adopted, on Wednesday, in Warsaw, in the presence of American President Joe Biden and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, a joint declaration one year after the invasion of Ukraine. "Russia grossly miscalculated invading Ukraine and undermining the rules-based international order. We are stronger and more united than ever",  the leaders of NATO countries on the eastern flank said. According to the statement, Russia is the most important and direct threat to the security of the Alliance, and in order to protect its citizens and territory, the allies are committed to increasing the level of military presence in the countries on the Eastern Flank. B9 includes Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Hungary. Present at the meeting, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis emphasized the need to keep supporting Ukraine. He stated that Romania supports the inclusion of Ukraine in NATO when the conditions have been met.. In the context of increased security challenges, increasing the resilience of the Republic of Moldova is essential, and Romania will continue to act as a reliable ally, Klaus Iohannis also said. The goal of the summit was to continue the coordination between the Allies on the Eastern Flank of NATO and the USA. On Tuesday, on the same day that Russian President Vladimir Putin gave his State of the Nation address, Joe Biden gave assurances in Warsaw that the West will support Ukraine as long as it is needed. Joe Biden arrived in Poland after a surprise visit to Kyiv on Monday.

Agri Trade Summit. More than 400 specialists from 13 countries participated, on Wednesday, in the first edition of the Romanian Agri Trade Summit, an event organized in Bucharest. In an online speech, Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă stated that access to the internal and external market of Romanian agri-food products must be a strategic objective of the government program. He also said that Romanian farmers and agribusiness operators are perceived as an extremely important factor in Romania's medium and long-term development. Nicolae Ciuca added 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 discussed pressing current topics for Agribusiness, which created the right framework for a complex dialogue between renowned analysts, authorities and major players in the local and international agricultural market, the organizers state.

Consolidation. 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. The decision was made  on Tuesday, at the inter-ministerial committee for the analysis of seismic risks, 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 ( a former Soviet republic with a predominantly Romanian speaking-population), Maia Sandu, will travel to Bucharest for 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 . The two presidents will also 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. 

Russian Center. The Romanian Foreign Ministry has 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 made by 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 to the Romanian public opinion",  a Foreign Ministry press release reads. According to the MFA, diversions intensified after the illegal invasion of Ukraine by the Russian troops. "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. (MI)