August 21, 2023 UPDATE
A roundup of domestic and international news.
Newsroom, 21.08.2023, 19:04
MEETING – The Romanian Prime Minister, Marcel Ciolacu, and his Greek counterpart, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, discussed on Monday, in Athens, the consolidation of bilateral cooperation, boosting trade between the two countries and the security situation. Also discussed were Greek investments in Romania in the field of energy, the participation of Greek companies in infrastructure projects in Romania, and also the presence of Romanian companies on the Greek market. An important topic was the expansion of the Schengen area. The Romanian Prime Minister explained the strategic reasons for a decision favorable to Romania and thanked the Greek side for the constant support offered. Marcel Ciolacu participated, in Athens, in a working meeting of the heads of state and government in South-Eastern Europe and the West Balkans, also attended by the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the president of the European Council, Charles Michel.
MISSION – Romania sends to Greece another team of 56 firefighters and special vehicles for a mission of 4 to 10 days. The decision was taken at the request of the Greek authorities, through the European Civil Protection Mechanism. Meanwhile, fires have been raging for three days in the Alexandroupolis region and new outbreaks have been reported on the island of Euboea and west of Athens. Two other fires are in the Rodopi and Kavala regions. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued a travel warning for the Romanian citizens in the affected areas.
UKRAINE – The Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says he hopes other countries will join Denmark and the Netherlands, countries which have decided to supply Kyiv with F-16 fighter jets. The Ukrainian leader made the statements at a military air base in Denmark, where he met with the Danish Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen. Denmark and the Netherlands will send Ukraine 61 F-16s. It was agreed that the planes would be transferred to the Ukrainian Air Force in close cooperation with the US and other partners, when the conditions for such a transfer are met. Conditions include, but are not limited to, successfully selected, tested and trained Ukrainian F-16 personnel as well as the necessary authorizations, infrastructure and logistics. Ukrainian pilot training will take place in several NATO countries, including Romania.
ATHLETICS – The Romanian athlete Alina Rotaru-Kottmann won the bronze medal in the long jump event at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, with 6.88 meters, in Sunday’s final. This is the best performance in her sports career so far. Alina Rotaru-Kottmann had already met the entry standards for athletics events at next years Paris Olympics. Romania is participating with 16 athletes, nine women and seven men, in the World Athletics Championships in Budapest.
BACCALAUREATE – In Romania, the baccalaureate exam continued Monday with the written exam in the mother tongue language and literature for the national minorities. The first results will be announced on August 25, and appeals can be submitted on the same day. The results will be published on August 29. 34,000 candidates registered for the autumn session, of whom 22,600 finished high school this summer.
ARC – The ARC Camps Program, initiated by the Department for Romanians Everywhere and intended for Romanian students and young people abroad, continues until August 28, in 6 leisure centers in Romania. Students and young people from Romania and another 24 countries of the world participate, including Albania, Austria, the United Arab Emirates, Germany, Greece, Italy, Israel, Kazakhstan, the Republic of Moldova, Serbia, Spain, Ukraine. We build bridges, build connections and embrace our cultural diversity this is the message that the Department sends to the children and teachers on summer vacation this year in the ARC camps. The camps are meant to show Romanian children outside the borders what authentic Romania is like. The project aims at facilitating interaction and dialogue between young people from historical communities and young people from the Diaspora, including through workshops to deepen knowledge of culture, history, geography and arts.
FESTIVAL – The George Enescu Festival, the largest classical music festival in Romania and one of the most important of its kind in Europe, is coming to Timișoara, the European capital of culture in 2023. Great ensembles of the world such as Ensemble Intercontemporain, Fine Arts Quartet, Camerata Bern, Manchester Camerata and the Romanian Chamber Orchestra will give exceptional concerts between September 3 and 20. The first edition of the festival was held in 1958. (EE)
