January 24, 2014 UPDATE
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România Internațional, 24.01.2014, 12:00
The Foreign Affairs Ministry in Bucharest has voiced concern regarding the escalating violence in Ukraine and makes an appeal to dialogue as the only way of settling the dispute. In a communiqué, the Romanian diplomacy entirely approves the statement by EU high representative Catherine Ashton on the latest developments in Ukraine and joins the appeal by the European official supporting an open and comprehensive dialogue between the authorities, the political opposition and civil society. At the same time, the Romanian Foreign Ministry deplores the way and circumstances under which parliament in Ukraine has adopted a legislative package with a view to limit civil rights such as the freedom of expression and association. Kiev, whose center has been occupied since late November by pro-European protesters, after the government turned its back to the EU for a rapprochement to Moscow, has been scene to violent clashes between radical protesters and riot police, which have so far left 5 dead and hundreds of wounded. Clashes between protesters and riot police have also taken place in other Ukrainian cities, including Cernauti, close to the Romanian border.
The general perception is that Romania has so far obtained excellent economic performances overcoming the economic crisis, Andrea Schaechter, head of the IMF delegation has said in Bucharest. Romania has trimmed its fiscal deficit by more than 6.5% of the GDP being one of the 11 EU members, which are no longer on the list of excessive deficit countries. Romania seems to have also registered a significant economic growth but it is important that it face global challenges as well, the IMF official went on to say. A joint mission of the IMF the World Bank and the European Commission is in Bucharest until February 5th for talks on the first and second assessment of the precautionary agreement concluded with Romania last autumn. Besides authorities, members of this troika are to meet representatives of the political parties, trade unions, business associations, banks and civil society.
Former Romanian communications minister Zsolt Nagy has been given a four-year suspended prison sentence, while former Justice Minister Tudor Chiuariu got a three-year suspended prison sentence for their involvement in the Romanian Post Office File. According to prosecutors with the High Romanian Court of Cassation and Justice, between 2005 and 2007, Nagy and Chiuariu facilitated the illegal inclusion of a state-owned building among the assets of a private firm, causing prejudices of nearly 9 million euros.
Romania’s Prime Minister Victor Ponta said he would summon the country’s Higher Defence Council for talks on how the Special Telecommunications Service STS acted in the case of the plane crash on Monday, where two people lost their lives and five others were wounded. The Prime Minister had earlier called on a control commission to join the Transport Ministry and check the activity of the Romanian Air Traffic Administration ROMATSA in relation to the case. The Prime Minister says that according to data, the severe errors, which misled the rescue teams, have been caused by ROMATSA and the STS, which had the obligation and the technical capability of identifying the wreck. We’ll revert to the topic after the news.
Romanians should understand the importance of solidarity within the big family that Romania represents, says president Traian Basescu in the message he conveyed on the Day marking the Union of the Romanian Principalities, on January the 24th. The president underlined that the Union of the principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia was a historical event, which still has a powerful spiritual force for all citizens living in Romania or in communities around the world. In Romania, the Republic of Moldova and other countries hosting Romanian communities, the event was marked by a series of cultural events, evoking the day of January the 24th 1859, which preceded the Great Union of December the 1st 1918, when all Romanian provinces united, forming a unitary state.
Romanian meteorologists have issued Code Yellow and Code Orange alerts against heavy snow falls and blizzard, valid as of today until Sunday evening, for 27 counties in southern and south-eastern Romania, including the capital city, Bucharest. It will snow heavily during this period of time, with the snow layer being likely to exceed 30-40 cm in places. Gusty wind will exceed 70 km/h. Light snow falls are expected elsewhere in Romania. In the areas situated within the Carpathians’ curvature, temperatures are slightly higher than normal for this time of the year. The highs of the day range from – 13 degrees to + 8 degrees Celsius. The noon reading in Bucharest was – 4 degrees.
