27 May, 2017
A round-up of local and international news.
Newsroom, 27.05.2017, 13:48
GLOBSEC. Romanias foreign minister Teodor Melescanu, who attended the 12th GLOBSEC Global Security Forum in Bratislava, said the role of the European Union in the area of defence should translate into the management of current threats and enhancing the cohesion between member states. He presented Romanias contribution to ensuring European and Euro-Atlantic security within the European Union and NATO. Melescanu said this confirmed the importance given by Romania to fulfilling its commitments as a member of both of these organisations. On the sidelines of the forum, he had talks with his Slovakian counterpart Miroslav Lajčak and the Chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee of the US Senate, Ron Johnson. The Romanian minister also had talks with his counterparts from Turkey and Poland about an upcoming three-party meeting hosted by Bucharest on the 9th of June.
Business. The Romanian business minister Alexandru Petrescu on Friday attended a forum entitled Investment Opportunities for Romania held in the Spanish city of Bilbao and attended by 75 Spanish companies from the Basque Country region. Petrescu urged the Spanish companies to explore investment possibilities in fields such as infrastructure, tourism, transport, energy and services, as well as new sectors such as the car making industry, the food industry, pharmaceuticals, the textile sector, research and development, IT&C and agriculture. The participants discussed ways to boost trade, foreign investment in both countries and bilateral economic cooperation given the size of the Romanian community in Spain and of the Spanish business community in Romania. Trade exchanges between Spain and Romania last year amounted to more than 3 and a half billion euros.
G7 summit. The G7 meeting of the worlds major industrialised countries continues today in the Italian town of Taormina. The leaders of the seven countries, including US president Donald Trump, are trying to find common ground on sensitive issues such as climate change and trade. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres called on the US president to comply with the Paris climate agreement, while the G7 leaders tried to persuade him not to withdraw his country from this agreement, which was signed in 2015. On Friday, on the first day of the summit, the G7 leaders signed a common declaration reaffirming their commitment to intensifying the fight against terrorism, a declaration that also mentions the elimination of extremist propaganda on the Internet. The Italian G7 presidency also wishes to discuss the situation in Africa, so todays talks are also attended by the leaders of five African countries, namely, Tunisia, Niger, Nigeria, Kenya and Ethiopia.
Manchester attack. The British police made two new arrests in connection to Monday nights terrorist attack in Manchester, in which 22 people were killed and 116 injured. 11 persons are now in custody. The attack was claimed by the Islamic State terrorist organisation. The head of the anti-terrorist structure of the British police Mark Rowley said on Friday that most of the network to which the perpetrator of the suicide attack was part of had been dismantled. On Tuesday, the British authorities named 22-year-old Salman Abedi as the perpetrator. He was born in Manchester into a family of Libyan origin. According to the home secretary Amber Rudd, Abedi was known to the intelligence services.
Tourism. 30 exhibitors from five countries, namely Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria and Romania, are taking part in the third edition of the European Castles Fair, held this weekend in Romania. The host is the Corvin Castle in Hunedoara, in the south-west, one of the most important examples of Gothic architecture in Romania. The participants are presenting their tourist offer and the main historical attractions in their respective areas. Romanias offer includes the Suceava Princely Seat, Bran Castle, the Clock Tower in Sighisoara, the Oradea fortress and the Peles and Pelisor residences. A number of events are held at the fair to provide visitors with a taste of the Middle Ages, such as archery competitions and fencing demonstrations.
Tennis. The Romanian-Dutch pair Horia Tecau and Jean-Julien Rojer on Saturday won the doubles title at an ATP tennis tournament in Geneva, worth around 480,000 euros in prize money. They defeated the all-Colombian pair Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah in three sets, 2-6, 7-6 (9), 10-6. This is Tecau and Rojers second title this year, having won their first in February in Dubai.
