February 5, 2013 UPDATE
Click here for a roundup of domestic and international news.
România Internațional, 05.02.2014, 12:35
VISIT-Romania supports Turkey during its accession talks with the EU and stands for stepping up the process, visiting Romanian President, Traian Basescu said in Ankara on Wednesday, fresh from the talks he had with his Turkish counterpart, Abdullah Gul. Basescu also expressed hope that the volume of two-way trade exchanges, which stands at 5 billion Euros, will double. The Romanian President has also said that Romanian-Turkish relations boosted, special emphasis being laid on the anti-terror fight as well as on the fight against drugs and human trafficking. The two presidents also approached the growth potential as regards co-operation in the effort to train technicians and those responsible for the maintenance of F16 fighters, the aircraft that the Romanian military aviation will soon be equipped with. The Romanian President held talks with the Turkish Prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the President of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, Cemil Cicek. President Basescu also met with representatives of the Romanian community. On Thursday, Traian Basescu will attend the Romanian-Turkish Economic Forum for Investment and Trade, will visit the Production Platform of the Turkish Aerospatial Industries, as well as the National Simulation Centre, which is being used for the training of pilots flying F16 fighters.
DIPLOMACY-Romanian Foreign Minister, Titus Corlatean, on Wednesday paid an official visit to Croatia, where he met with the country’s president, Ivo Josipovic and his Croatian counterpart, Vesna Pusic. During the talks, the officials hailed the excellent level of bilateral relations at both political and diplomatic level as well as the economic cooperation growth potential, by boosting trade exchanges and encouraging investments. Corlatean expressed the Romanian authorities’ interest in preserving the dialect used by the Istro-Romanian speaking community in Croatia, which is part of that country’s immaterial heritage and included in the UNESCO Red Book of Endangered Languages. The talks also covered issues on the European agenda, such as institutional evolutions at EU level, energy security, the enlargement policy, the situation in the Western Balkans, the dynamics of the Eastern Partnership and the relation with the Republic of Moldova.
TRANSDNIESTER-Romania’s President Traian Basescu on Wednesday expressed deep concern about the fact that three representatives of the only high school with tuition in Romanian, based in Tiraspol, were taken into custody. The Romanian President deems as unacceptable the way in which the Romanian schools in Transdniester (a pro-Russian breakaway region in the East of the Republic of Moldova) are treated. According to Basescu, this action is “a provocation meant to render the situation in Transdinester tense”. The Romanian President has called on the OSCE and the mediators of the Transdniester conflict to urgently intervene in order to solve the situation. In Transdniester, there are eight educational institutions with tuition in Romanian. In recent times, they have been subjected to pressure, by the authorities in Tiraspol.
ARREST-The former president of the Romanian Boxing Federation, Rudel Obreja has been taken into temporary custody, for 29 days, by prosecutors of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate for influence peddling. Obreja is accused of having asked an informer for one million Euros, saying he could make the judges of the High Court of Cassation and Justice give a favourable ruling.
LONDON-On Tuesday evening, London underground workers went on a 48-hour strike in token of protest against job cuts, which caused travel chaos in the British capital. Another 48-hour strike is scheduled next week, unless the parties reach a solution.
KIEV– The EU is ready to support constitutional reforms being made in Ukraine and to contribute to investigating acts of violence, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Catherine Ashton said in Kiev on Wednesday, fresh from the talks she had had with president Viktor Ianukovici. Catherine Ashton called for stepping up efforts meant to put an end to the political crisis in Ukraine. Catherine Ashton has paid several visits to Kiev for talks with opposition leaders and president Viktor Ianukovici, who last November refused to sign an association agreement with the EU and preferred a close relationship with Russia. His refusal sparked off a wave of protests in Ukraine.
TENNIS-The WTA has announced on its official website that Bucharest will host a tournament in July, after the Wimbledon Grand Slam; the tournament will have 250,000 dollars worth of prize money. Bucharest Open will replace the Budapest Grand Prix, won by Romanian Simona Halep in 2013. The WTA says that at this point, there is a revival of Romanian women’s tennis boasting four players among the top 100 players: Simona Halep, Sorana Cirstea, Monica Niculescu and Alexandra Cadantu, while Alexandra Dulgheru and Irina-Camelia Begu are among the 200 top players. In April, Bucharest will also host an ATP tournament.
THE WINTER OLYMPIC GAMES– Romanian Prime Minister, Victor Ponta, on Friday will attend the opening ceremony for the Winter Olympic Games hosted by the Russian resort of Sochi. The Romanian Prime Minister will participate in the dinner offered on this occasion by the Russian President, Vladimir Putin. Romania will be represented at this edition of the Winter Olympic Games by 24 athletes. Our country has participated in almost all editions of the Winter Olympic Games, with the exception of the editions held in 1924 and 1960. In 1968, in the French resort of Grenoble, Romania won its only medal in the Winter Olympic Games ever. It was a bronze medal snatched by the two-man bobsleigh team, made up of Ion Panţuru and Nicolae Neagoe.
