February 19, 2022

A roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 19.02.2022, 13:49

NATO. Romanian President Klaus Iohannis stressed the
importance of continuing consultations and maintaining a close collaboration and
the unity of the Alliance against the background of the current critical
moments, a communiqué issued by the Presidential Administration reads. According
to the same release, on Friday, the head of state participated, at the
invitation of the US president Joe Biden, in a new round of consultations on
the recent security developments, triggered by Russia’s provocative actions,
doubled by an active campaign of disinformation and intimidation. At the
meeting, President Iohannis highlighted the need for a complete package of
sanctions that should be used in case the situation deteriorates further. He
also stressed the need for strengthening NATO’s deterrence and defense posture,
in a unitary and coherent manner, along the entire Eastern Flank, from the
Baltic Sea to the Black Sea, as this is the only means to maintain regional
stability and defend the security of the Alliance as a whole. Iohannis also
reiterated Romania’s support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial
integrity and for its right to freely decide upon its own foreign policy. Also,
the Romanian president said, Romania is ready to manage all the implications of
the current crisis.

Ukraine. The US President Joe Biden has voiced his conviction
that his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, has made the decision to invade
Ukraine, France Presse reports. We believe they will target Ukraine’s capital
Kyiv, a city of 2.8 million innocent people, the head of the US administration
said. He added, though, that since the invasion has not started yet, there is
still time for diplomacy, recalling that the Secretary of State Antony Blinken
is to meet in Europe with his Russian counterpart Serghey Lavrov.

Security. Leaders from around the world have gathered in Germany this weekend for the Munich Security Conference, focusing on the Ukrainian crisis, amid Western fears of a Russian military invasion of Ukraine. Romania is represented by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bogdan Aurescu, and by the Minister of Defense, Vasile Dincu. Minister Aurescu has reiterated Romania’s stand, saying that the current security crisis is not just regional, but one that is affecting the Euro-Atlantic security as a whole. He referred to both the acts of aggression and destabilization that the region has faced in recent years, of a conventional or hybrid nature, and to repeated violations of fundamental principles of international law, such as sovereignty, territorial integrity and freedom of navigation, with negative impact. on the development opportunities of the region. The Romanian Foreign Minister stressed the importance of the states in the region to act proactively, constructively and to cooperate in order to overcome the challenges, including in established formats, such as Bucharest 9 and the Three Seas Initiative, each with essential security roles, interconnection and cohesion respectively.

Covid.19Ro. 12,319 new cases of coronavirus infection were
reported in the last 24 hours in Romania, as well as 148 related fatalities, of
which 2 from a previous reporting period. The largest number of infections
since the start of the pandemic – 40,018 – was registered on February 1st. The pandemic
seems to be following a downward trend. Against this background, the vaccination
pace is also slowing down significantly, though specialists recommend it in
order to avoid severe manifestations of the disease.

Brancusi. Today Romania
celebrates the Constantin Brancusi National Day, 146 years since the birth of
the great sculptor. Events have been organized by the Romanian Cultural
Institutes around the world. According to the Romanian PM Nicolae Ciuca, the
Constantin Brancusi National Day is a tribute to the exceptional talent of a
Romanian who, through the mastery of his chisel, radically influenced world
sculpture. Though a genius, Brancusi lived simply and modestly, which are
characteristics of the Romanian peasant. Romanian nature, spiritually and folklore
were his inspiration and turned his workshop in Paris into a little corner of
Rural Romania, the PM’s message also reads.

Invictus. The Invictus team, made up of Romanian soldiers wounded
in theaters of operations, will represent the country at this year’s Invictus
Games, hosted by the Hague in April, according to a statement from the Ministry
of National Defense. It will be the Romanian Army’s third participation in this
international sports competition, which support the physical and psychological
recovery of the military wounded in war zones. 20 injured soldiers will
participate in seven sports. (MI)