August 12, 2015

A look at some of the main stories in Romania today

Newsroom, 12.08.2015, 12:00

The Romanian government
cannot tolerate forever the unacceptable comments of the Hungarian ambassador
to Bucharest, said prime minister Victor Ponta on Tuesday in a message posted
on Facebook. He said the position of the Romanian foreign ministry has been extremely
balanced and in keeping with European norms and standards. On Monday, the
ministry summoned the charge d’affaires of the Hungarian embassy in Bucharest
following an interview given by the Hungarian ambassador Zakonyi Botond to the
Romania Libera newspaper. Mr Botond said Bucharest was not interested in
completing the transport infrastructure between the two states and urged the
ethnic Hungarians in Romania to seek autonomy. The Romanian foreign ministry
says the comments about a possible autonomy based on ethnic grounds are
tantamount to involvement in Romania’s internal affairs. On Tuesday, the
Hungarian media carried information according to which the Romanian ambassador
to Budapest Victor Micula was summoned at the Hungarian foreign ministry. Bucharest
explained, however, that it was the Romanian diplomat who requested the
meeting.

The Bucharest authorities
take a deep interest in the situation of the ethnic Romanian communities in
Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova and keep a close eye on the situation of
the Romanian communities in the Balkans, said the minister delegate for the relationship
with Romanians abroad, Angel Tîlvăr in a talk at the Izvorul Muresului Summer
University. He also said that the policy department for the relationship with
Romanians abroad supports the consolidation of the associative environment, the
preservation and promotion of Romanian culture, the development of civil
society and Romanian media. This year, the Izvorul Muresului Summer University
is held between August 10th and the 15th and is entitled
Romania and the Romanians on the border with the European Union and NATO. The
issues discussed include the relationship between Romania and the Republic of
Moldova, the rights of ethnic Romanian minorities in the neighbouring countries
and the Balkans and the situation of the Romanian schools and churches in these
areas as a means of preserving ethnic identity.

The orange code alert for heat which has been in place in
three counties in western Romania has been extended to seven other counties in
the west and south. In these regions, temperatures will reach 38 degrees
Celsius. The unrelenting heat and the lack of rain have taken their toll on
crops across the country. Also, the level of the Danube waters has fallen at an
alarmingly low level. In the Danube Delta, more than 50 canals have become
clogged and hundreds of fish have died because of the low level of the waters
and high temperatures.

World no. 3 Simona Halep of Romania today faces world no.
23 Jelena Jankovic of Serbia in the second round of the Rogers Cup tennis
tournament in Toronto worth 2.5 million dollars in prize money. In the first
round, Jankovic defeated Caroline Garcia of France. In the doubles, the
all-Romanian pair Irina Begu and Raluca Olaru face the all-Spanish pair Garbine
Muguruza and Carla Suarez in the eighth finals. On Monday, the Romania pair
defeated the Australian pair Anastasia
Radionova and Arina Radionova in three sets.