April 17, 2014
Click here for a roundup of domestic and international news
Roxana Vasile, 17.04.2014, 12:14
Awaiting the celebration of Easter, Orthodox and Catholic Christians worldwide, predominantly-Orthodox Romania included, on Maundy Thursday of the Passions Week commemorate the last dramatic moment of Jesus’ life, ahead of His crucifixion. This evening, Orthodox Christians go to Church to attend the 12 Gospels’ Vespers, which are thought to be one of the most beautiful Orthodox divine services. At the Vatican, Pope Francis in Saint Peter’s Basilica will be presiding over the traditional mass, with thousands of priests taking part. In 2014, Orthodox and catholic believers celebrate Easter on the same day, April the 20th.
The Trans-Dniester is one of the most sensitive issues, which is still pending in the wake of the USSR’s dismemberment, Russian President Vladimir Putin has stated today. Putin has also suggested stepping up dialogue focusing on the future of the self-styled, Russian-speaking republic in the eastern part of the Republic of Moldova, which so far has not been granted international recognition. Putin went on to demand from Moldova and neighboring Ukraine to lift what he called “the blockade” against the Trans-Dniester, stating that the more than half a million people living there have their own beliefs on how to build their future. Vladimir Putin also said that allowing the population in the region to decide their own fate would be a salient democratic exercise. Yesterday the parliament in Tiraspol demanded the recognition of the Trans-Dniester breakaway region’s independence and its unification with Russia. The authorities in Chisinau stated the vote was a blatant defiance of Republic of Moldova’s territorial integrity. The Romanian Foreign Affairs Minister Titus Corlatean in Bucharest has called on the OSCE presidency to get quickly involved in the events, also stating that Tiraspol’s initiative runs counter to the fundamental principle of finding a political solution to the Trans-Dniester problem.
Romania’s Prime Minister Victor Ponta this morning has attended a joint Romanian-American military exercise at a military base in central Romania, which has come to an end today. For seven days running, more than 250 US Air Forces military, with their F-16 aircrafts and around 200 Romanian military, pilots and technical staff, with MiG — 21 LanceR fighter jets took part in the exercise. This is the fourth time the exercise has been staged in Romania, while its stated aim is to give a boost to Romanian military’s level of training , as well as to enhance Romanian- American cooperation. The United States have stated that although it had been scheduled prior to the Ukrainian crisis outbreak, the exercise came as a support gesture Washington has made for its eastern NATO allies.
High-ranking officials from Russia, the European Union and the United States in Geneva today are trying to find a way to defuse the Ukrainian crisis. The West has been accusing Moscow of being behind the pro-Russian separatists who seized office buildings in several cities in eastern Ukraine. Pro-Russian separatists want a referendum to be staged, bolstering a larger autonomy or the unification with Russia. President Vladimir Putin has once again denied Russia had any military or agents in Ukraine. Putin went on to accuse the pro-European government in Kiev of using military force instead of initiating a dialogue. In southeastern Ukraine last night, 3 insurgents were killed in clashes with pro-Russian separatists, 13 others wounded, and more than 60 seized by Ukrainian military, in the wake of a rather confusing startup in Ukraine’s military operations in the region yesterday. In response to recent developments in Ukraine, NATO has decided to strengthen air, sea and ground defense capabilities of NATO countries in Eastern Europe. In Romania’s case, the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in Europe, General Philip Breedlove said other types of action would be considered, given that Romania already had a strong measure package to boost ground, water and air security. We recall that a US Marines contingent is stationed at the Mihail Kogalniceanu base in the south-east. The United States sent USS Cook destroyer to the Black Sea, while AWACS aircraft missions are underway in Romania.
Sales for Dacia, the Romanian car make owned by French carmaker Renault in March this year registered stood at their highest across the European Union, according to the European Carmakers Association. Dacia sales in the Union’s 28 states soared to 53.5 %,as compared to March last year. For Renault, which is Europe’s third largest carmaker, the successful reported sales percentage stood at its highest among leading carmakers, 30.4 %. Comparatively, sales for Ford and Nissan have registered a 10 % growth, the Volkswagen group, 8.8%, while sales for Fiat stood at 4.8 %. In March 2014, registration rate for new cars in Europe has been growing for the seventh consecutive month.
