July 15, 2017

A roundup of domestic and international news

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Newsroom, 15.07.2017, 13:56

SABER GUARDIAN 17 – On Saturday, Romanias President Klaus Iohannis attended the exercise Saber Guardian 17 , which is unfolding at the Cincu shooting range in central Romania. Participating are military staff from most NATO countries but also from the neighboring countries. This is the largest military exercise in Romanias modern history. 10 battle and logistics ships, 12 vessels and 18 ground battle vehicles of the Romanian Naval Forces carry out sea, air and ground drills alongside 25,000 Romanian and foreign soldiers. General Petr Pavel, the Chairman of the NATO Military Committee, who is also attending the exercise, has stated that Bucharest is a reliable ally and has appreciated Romanias significant contribution to NATOs missions and operations, being one of the first 10 contributors to the mission in Afghanistan.

ROMANIA-CHINA COMMITTEE – Prime Minister Mihai Tudose will set up a Romania – China Inter-ministerial Committee, whose goal would be to analyze bilateral projects. The announcement was made after the event “2017 China -Central and East European Countries Political Parties Dialogue”, organized in Bucharest by the ruling Social Democratic Party and a meeting with Liu Yunshan, a top level official of the Chinese Communist Party. During the proceedings hosted by Romanias Parliament, the Chinese official said that Beijing intends to develop new platforms of communication and cooperation with the central and eastern countries, especially as regards large scale projects. According to the head of the Social Democratic Party Liviu Dragnea, the Chinese authorities are very much interested in serious investments in infrastructure in Romania, such as motorways and high-speed railways. The parties also discussed the resumption of the Bucharest – Beijing flights and a better organizations of foodstuff exports.

MEASLES EPIDEMIC – The number of officially confirmed cases of measles has reached 8000 in Romania, according to the National Centre for Infectious Disease Surveillance and Control. The epidemic is spread across the country, and the largest numbers of cases were reported in the counties of Timis (west), Caras-Severin (south-west) and Arad (west). Three quarters of the cases were reported in children under 10, with the 1-4 years old age group being the most affected, with 3,100 cases. So far, the epidemic that broke out late last year has claimed 31 lives.

COMMEMORATION – Turkey has organized a string of events to mark one year since the failed coup of July 2016. 15 July has been declared a day of national celebration. President Recep Tayyp Erdogan and his supporters claim that the victory against the failed coup in 2016 marked a revival of the nation. To others, though, the events back where less triumphant. The NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has voiced support for the Turkish citizens who opposed the attempted coup and said that attempts to undermine democracy in the allied countries are unacceptable. Some 50,000 people were arrested and 150,000 have been sacked or suspended from office because of their involvement in the failed coup.