February 25, 2023

Visit. President Klaus Iohannis received, in Bucharest, the European commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarcic. Against this background, the Romanian president said that he supports the expansion of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, expressing his hope that, in the future, Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova will join.  According to the Presidential Administration, Iohannis appreciated the excellent cooperation with the European Commission in the field of civil protection and highlighted, in this regard, the establishment of the first stock of RescEU medicines in Romania during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the humanitarian hub in Suceava (north-east) in support of Ukraine in 2022. The President stresed that the joint action of the EU member states through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism clearly reflected the solidarity and the ability of the Union to offer concrete help to European citizens and international partners . Iohannis also spoke for the urgent setting up at the EU level of a specific capability for the fight against the effects of climate change, which would increase the resilience of the Union in this field, taking into account the fact that several member states have faced disasters in recent years.

Russia. Romanian diplomacy condemns the groundless allegations contained in the press release of the Russian Foreign Ministry of February 24, 2023 regarding the pro-Russian secessionist region of Transnistria, in the east of the Republic of Moldova, as well as the threatening and provocative rhetoric used. According to a press release by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bucharest, the intentional propagation of information without correspondence in the reality on the ground represents an extremely dangerous approach, in the current security context, in which the Russian Federation is intensifying its war of aggression against Ukraine. This attempt to artificially create tension and destabilization in the region and in relation to the Republic of Moldova is unacceptable. The Romaian MFA calls for responsibility, for abandoning aggressive, escalating and provocative rhetoric, as well as for refraining from any statements and acts that may affect the stability of the region and the Republic of Moldova. Transnistria de facto came out of the control of the central authorities after an armed conflict that resulted in hundreds of deaths and was ended by the intervention of Moscow's troops on the side of the secessionist rebels in 1992, not even a year after Chisinau proclaimed its independence. At the OSCE summit in Istanbul in 1999, the former Russian president, Boris Yeltsin, pledged to withdraw the troops from Transnistria. About 1,500 soldiers and important Russian arsenals are believed to still be there.

Refugees. The Border Police Inspectorate has reported that 80,500 people entered Romania on Friday, of which 7,041 Ukrainians. Starting February 10th, 2022, 3,619,747 Ukrainian citizens have crossed Romania's borders. Most of them went further, to countries in western Europe, but around 112 thousand decided to stay in Romania.

Concert. Radio Romania Culture and the Radio Romania Orchestras and Choirs are organizing, this evening at the Radio Hall, the "Life in a Suitcase" concert, which marks one year since the Russian invasion of neighboring Ukraine. The violinist Alexandru Tomescu, the cellist Răzvan Suma, the pianist Sînziana Mircea and the young flautist from Ukraine Mariia Velia, a student at the National University of Music in Bucharest, are the protagonists of the event. The concert will be broadcast by Radio Romania Culture, Radio Romania Music and by the territorial and local stations of Radio Romania. Before the event, the public can watch, in the foyer of the Radio Hall, the exhibition "Life in a Suitcase", dedicated to Ukrainian refugees and organized together with the Arts and Artists in Dialogue Foundation.

Fencing. Romania's men's team won silver, on Friday, at the European Fencing Championships for Cadets and Juniors in Tallinn, Estonia, after it was defeated by Italy 45-30 in the foil event.  Romania got five medals during the four days of the competition: one gold, three silver and one bronze. Romania's delegation is made up of 42 athletes, competing in all the Championships' events. (MI)