April 1, 2023 UPDATE

A roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 01.04.2023, 20:00

VISIT – As part of his visit to the United States, Romania’s
Defense Minister, Angel Tîlvăr,
met with representatives of American research and analysis institutes
specializing in the field of security. According to a press release published
by the Defense Ministry, the meeting tackled the status and prospects of the
war in Ukraine, NATO’s response in support of Ukraine, as well as lessons
learned and ways of strengthening Allied support for this country. Moreover,
the meeting also highlighted the decisions of the NATO Summit in Madrid and
their implementation. During his visit to the US, Minister Tîlvăr underscored in his meetings with American
officials the benefits of the Strategic Partnership between Romania and the
USA. On March 30, Angel Tîlvăr
met with Cara Abercrombie, coordinator for defense policy and arms control for
the White House National Security Council. On March 31, the Romanian official
met with Gina Ortiz Jones, Assistant Secretary of the US Air Forces.

NATO – Mircea Geoană’s
term as deputy NATO Secretary General has been extended by another year until
October 2024. Secretary General Jens Stolotenberg has thanked the Romanian
official, arguing Mircea Geoană has
been remarkable as his deputy, supporting him personally during a critical time
for Euro-Atlantic security. In a Facebook post, Mircea Geoană said the decision is an encourangement to all
Romanians to aim high, as well as a chance for Romania to take advantage of the
strategic opportunities offered by the latest geopolitical developments. On the
other hand, according to the British publication The Sun, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen is
expected to submit her candidacy to become the next NATO Secretary General,
considering Jens Stoltenberg’s term will end in October, after having
been extended three times. Spain’s Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, as well as Great
Britain’s Defense Secretary, Ben Wallace, are reportedly also on the candidate
list.

RRF – The European Commission has so far disbursed €150 billion to
Member States as part of its Recovery and Resilience Facility in the two years
since it was launched. The funds were earmarked for reforms and investments in
beneficiary states. To increase the transparency of RRF funds, this week the
Commission launched an online interactive map tracking projects actively funded
under this mechanism. 10 out of the total of 350 projects listed on the map are
in Romania, including the National Forestation Plan, the construction of the A7
motorway linking Ploiești (south) to
Pașcani (east) or the modernization of the railway linking Cluj to
Oradea (northwest).

INCIDENT
– The Romanian Foreign Ministry on Saturday announced that Canadian authorities
are still to confirm the citizenship of eight people who died while trying to
cross illegally into the United States from Canada. Their bodies were
discovered in a marshy area of St. Lawrence River, which forms part of the
Canada-US border, the local authorities have announced. Another person, thought
to have operated the boat transporting the people, is still missing. The
Ministry’s announcement follows an earlier report by the media saying that one
of the two families was of Romanian origin. US President Joe Biden and Canada’s
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau last week agreed to turn people back who
requested asylum at official crossing points along the border. Local police
says the decision did not affect the tragedy of the two families, as they were
trying to enter the United States, not Canada.

UNSC PRESIDENCY – Andriy Yermak, the
Ukrainian president’s chief of staff, on Saturday posted a message on Twitter
describing Russia taking over the presidency of the UN Security Council as a
symbolic blow to the rules-based system of international relations. The presidency of the Council is held by each
of the members in turn for one month, following the English alphabetical order
of the Member States names. In April, the Russian delegation will take charge
of managing the Council’s agenda and presiding its meetings. One of the main
benefits is that the presidency can hold special sessions focusing on topics it
deems of special interest, often in the presence of certain government members.
The last time Moscow held this position was in February 2022, when its troops
launched the large-scale war of aggression in Ukraine. On Friday, the Kremlin
announced it intends to make full use of every prerogatives conveyed by the UN
Security Council presidency. Seeing Russia at the helm of the most important UN
body is a bad joke, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister, Dmytro Kuleba, has commented.