September 18, 2023 UPDATE

UN. President Klaus Iohannis is heading Romania's delegation at the 78th UN General Assembly held in New York between 18th and 22nd September. The main theme of the session is "Rebuilding trust and reigniting global solidarity: Accelerating action on the 2030 Agenda and its sustainable development goals towards peace, prosperity, progress and sustainability for all". On Wednesday, Iohannis is expected to present Bucharest's assessment of current global issues and underline the top priorities of its foreign policy and contribution to the objectives on the UN agenda. During his addresses and the interactions with his counterparts from the other UN member countries, Iohannis is expected to reiterate Romania's firm support for effective multilateralism, the observance of international law and a rules-based order, with the UN in a central position. He will be presenting Romania's assessment regarding the multiple crises currently facing the international community. The Romanian president is also expected to attend the summit on sustainable development and the debates staged by the University of Columbia in New York as part of the World Leaders Forum on the subject of Romania's Perspective on the War Against Ukraine and its Impact on Black Sea Security.

Motion. Romanian deputies on Monday debated a simple motion initiated by the Save Romania Union and the Force of the Right from the centre -right opposition against the Social-Democratic Minister of Health Alexandru Rafila. This has been the first move of this kind in the current Parliament season. The initiators are blaming Rafila for the way he managed the health reforms and investment stipulated in the National Plan of Recovery and Resilience. They also blame him for the delays in the application norms of the National Plan for Combating Cancer. Rafila has rejected the allegations and has deemed the opposition's move as demagogical. The motion will be put to the vote on  Wednesday.

IMF. An International Monetary Fund team will travel to Bucharest next week for an annual assessment of the Romanian economy. The IMF experts will discuss with the Romanian authorities about tax policies and the latest economic developments and will meet officials from the field. A set of conclusions will be presented at the end of the mission. Such consultations are held regularly with all IMF members.

Ukraine. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg warned that the world should not expect a quick ending to the war in Ukraine. In an interview published on Sunday, at a time when the Ukrainian army is engaged in a slow counteroffensive, Stoltenberg recalled that "most wars last longer than expected when they first begin" and said that "we must prepare ourselves for a long war in Ukraine".

Drones. Residents of 16 villages in Tulcea county are receiving alert texts on their mobile phones warning of the fall of possible drone parts as a result of Russian strikes on Ukraine's river ports. The most recent such warnings were issued on Sunday evening in the north of the county as groups of Russian drones were detected heading for Ukraine, the Romanian defence ministry said. The governor of Odessa region Oleh Kiper said Ismail district, home to a Danube port of the same name and used for the export of Ukrainian cereals, was again the target of Russian drone strikes. He said 11 drones were destroyed, but did not give details about possible damage to the port's infrastructure.

Aid. Two Romanian Air Force C-130 aircraft on Monday delivered to the Libyan city of Benghazi the second tranche of Romania's aid for Libya, which is affected by devastating floods. Six flights are scheduled on this route, delivering a total of 55 tonnes of goods consisting of food products and shelter aid. Libya is also to receive more than 5 million euros from the European Union. More than 11,000 people have been killed so far and 10,000 are missing. (CM)