August 15, 2018 UPDATE

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Newsroom, 15.08.2018, 18:22

PROTESTS – The head prosecutor with the Military Prosecutor’s
Office in Bucharest, Ionel Corbu, said that the gendarmes’ intervention during
Friday’s anti-Government protest was by no means justified, as long as there
were several alternatives to quell the violent protesters. Ionel Corbu said the
Military Prosecutor’s Office has received from the Romanian Gendarmes Service
part of the documents it has requested, namely the action plan, the
intervention plan and the operation log, adding however that no documents were
received regarding the amount of tear gas used in the protests. The Bucharest
Gendarme service said the tear gas used by the riot police was purchased from
licensed manufacturers and that it is currently being used all over Europe. Military
prosecutors continue to investigate the forceful intervention of the riot
police on August 10 and are now looking into possible charges of abuse of
office and actionable negligence. So far 200 people have filed criminal complaints.

FEAST DAY – Orthodox and Eastern Catholic
Christians in Romania on Wednesday celebrated the Assumption of Mary, the
bodily taking up of the Virgin Mary into Heaven at the end of her earthly life.
Churches and monasteries in Romania held special services on this occasion
while thousands of Christians went on pilgrimage. Some 2.2 million Romanians
celebrated their name day on Wednesday.

NAVY DAY – August 15 is also Romanian
Navy Day, as Saint Mary is also the patron saint of sailors. This year
ceremonies were held in Constanta, Galati, Mangalia, Tulcea, Braila, Bucuresti
and Cernavoda on this occasion. Attending the events were thousands of navy
military, scores of warships and numerous aircraft. The largest naval show was
held in Constanta, the largest Romanian port on the Black Sea. The guard of
honor and brigades of Romanian military, alongside peers from Great Britain,
the United States and Ukraine paraded on the waterfront before the fleet
command. Attending the ceremonies, President Klaus Iohannis said Romania cannot
truly be a powerful player in the region without a powerful army, which should
include a well-equipped, well-trained and modern navy, capable to successfully
withstand any challenge. The President went on to say that, as a sign of
appreciation for the activity and special achievements of the Naval Forces, he
has decorated the war flag of the Romanian Naval Forces with the Maritime
Virtue Order in rank of Officer, as a sign of military peace. Defense Minister
Mihai Fifor told the navy military that their responsibilities are key to
securing the eastern flank of NATO and the EU. Fifor recalled that 2018, the
year marking 100 years since the Great Union, will be a landmark for the
military navy by means of the modernization program carried out to strengthen
the immediate response capacity of the Romanian Naval Forces and to consolidate
Romania’s position in the Black Sea region.

ACCIDENT – President Klaus Iohannis has expressed his condolences
for the families of the victims of Tuesday’s collapse of a motorway bridge
close to Genoa, which killed dozens of people, including two Romanian
nationals, a Presidency report reads. The President also conveyed his
condolences to his Italian counterpart, Sergio Mattarella and to the Italian
authorities. According to the Foreign Ministry, operations to extract the
victims from the rubble are ongoing. A mobile consular team is on scene. Some
250 firefighters and scores of search and rescue teams continue to look for
survivors. According to our correspondent in Rome, 440 people were evacuated
from 11 apartment buildings in the vicinity. Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe
Conte also visited the crash site, ensuring citizens the whole road
infrastructure in Italy will be inspected to prevent such tragedies from
happening.

CAMPAIGN – The signature-gathering campaign entitled
No criminally-prosecuted people in public office has so far raised over 800
thousand signatures and is bound to continue until the end of the month, the
president of Save Romania Union Dan Barna told the press on Wednesday. The set
target is to gather 1 million signatures. This citizen initiative aimed at
revising the Constitutions so that no person with a final criminal sentence can
hold public office.

MEETING – National Defense Minister Mihai Fifor on
Wednesday met with his Moldovan counterpart, Eugeniu Sturza, on the sidelines
of the Romanian Navy Day ceremonies held in Constanta. The two officials
highlighted the good bilateral cooperation in the field of defense, also
agreeing on enhanced cooperation as regards military medicine and education. As
regards cooperation within NATO, Minister Fifor told Minister Sturza that
Romania would continue to support Moldova’s efforts to join NATO.

RAF – Six Russian bombers were intercepted over the Black Sea by British
fighter jets deployed to Romania, charged with the security of NATO airspace, a
Royal Air Force press release reads. Eurofighter Typhoon jets took off on
Monday from Mihail Kogalniceanu airbase in southeastern Romania, after six
Sukhoi Su-24 Fencer bombers were detected in NATO airspace over the Black Sea.
The Russian aircraft were headed to Crimea. The operation was part of NATO air
policing operations with support from the Royal Air Force, aimed at deterring
Russian aggression and enforcing Great Britain’s commitment to NATO collective
defense. Romania’s Defense Minister Mihai Fifor last month said such challenges
from Moscow are quite frequent.

FOOTBALL – Three Romanian football teams are on
Thursday competing in the second round of the Champions League third
preliminary round. All matches are played on home turf. CFR Cluj is playing
Alashkert of Armenia and is sitting on a 2-nil away win in the first leg. FCSB
will take on Croatia’s Hajduk Split, after drawing nil-all in the first leg,
while Romanian Cup winner CSU Craiova is playing RB Leipzig. Craiova lost 1-3
in the first leg.

(Translated by V. Palcu)