July 8, 2022 UPDATE

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Newsroom, 08.07.2022, 20:00

CONDOLENCES President Klaus Iohannis conveyed condolences to the family of Japans former PM, Shinzo Abe, who died on Friday from his injuries after being shot in the street by an attacker. “He was a strong defender of democracy and multilateralism, but also a true friend,” Iohannis posted on Twitter. Japans ex-PM was shot dead by a former member of the Japanese defense forces, the Japanese public broadcaster NHK reports. Abe, 67, was delivering a campaign speech near a train station in the western Japanese city of Nara when he was the target of an armed attack. Armed violence is extremely rare in Japan, where firearms are banned. Shinzo Abe was the longest-serving Japanese prime minister in history. He led the Japanese executive from 2006 to 2007 and then from 2012-2020. He resigned two years ago for health-related reasons.

STATISTICS Romanias economy grew by 5.1% in the first quarter of the year, compared to the previous quarter, according to preliminary data made public today by the National Statistics Institute. Compared to the corresponding period of 2021, Romanias GDP went up 6.4%, the institution said, to over RON 343.5 bln.

GOVERNMENT Petre Daea was sworn in as minister of agriculture and rural development on Friday at the Cotroceni Palace. Attending the ceremony was president Klaus Iohannis, PM Nicolae Ciucă, the interim Senate speaker Alina Gorghiu, the Chamber of Deputies speaker Marcel Ciolacu, and presidential advisers. President Klaus Iohannis had signed the decree appointing Petre Daea as agriculture minister earlier that day. On Wednesday the leaders of the Social Democratic Party voted unanimously in favour of the appointment. The former agriculture minister, Adrian Chesnoiu, also a parliament member, stepped down and left the party after the National Anti-Corruption Directorate had requested permission to prosecute him for abuse of office.

NATURAL GAS An interconnector between the gas pipelines in Greece and Bulgaria, which became operational on Friday, gives Romania access to other natural gas resources, in an international context in which it becomes increasingly likely that Moscow will suspend deliveries to the European Union. Romania will be able to help other states in the region reduce their dependence on Russian gas, said Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca in Athens, where he paid a working visit and met with his Greek counterpart, Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

FORUM Russias war of aggression against Ukraine has generated the most severe security crisis in Europe since WW2, state secretary in Romanias defence ministry Simona Cojocaru said at the “Atlantic – Black Sea” Security Forum held in Bucharest. In her opinion, if Russia reaches its military goals in the east of Ukraine, its operational efforts will most likely focus on the Ukrainian territories north-west of the Black Sea. Therefore, the risk of regional instability might grow significantly, posing a major challenge to Romania. The most dangerous scenario for Ukraine, Romania and NATO would be a land corridor to Odessa and a connection to Transdniester, Simona Cojocaru explained. In a video call, Ukraines defence minister Oleksiy Reznikov said Russias aggression on his country will continue until countered by strong resistance. Terror cannot be stopped by diplomacy alone, he emphasised.

MEETING The foreign ministers of the worlds 20 most developed economies had a closed-doors meeting, marked by the conflict in Ukraine. The meeting held on the Indonesian island of Bali brought together Moscow and its harshest critics for the first time since Ukraine was attacked. During the talks attended by Russias foreign minister Sergey Lavrov, the EUs High Representative for foreign affairs and security policy Josep Borrell urged all participants to help end the war, restore Ukraines sovereignty and guarantee the containment of the global fallout. The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stressed that Russia has heard “a strong chorus from around the world… about the need for the aggression to end”. “To our Russian colleagues: Ukraine is not your country. Its grain is not your grain. Why are you blocking the ports? You should let the grain out,” Blinken told Lavrov. The latter in fact left the meeting hall where Russia was criticised. According to the German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock, this proves Moscows unwillingness to cooperate. The Indonesian foreign minister Retno Marsudi also called for an end to the war in Ukraine.

SWIMMING Romanias David Popovici Friday won another gold medal at the European Junior Swimming Championship held in Otopeni, near Bucharest, in the mens 50m freestyle final, with 22.16 seconds. This is the 4th medal for Popovici, after the gold in the mens 4x100m freestyle relay and the 200m freestyle race, and silver in the 4x100m medley relay. On Thursday, another Romanian athlete, Vlad Stancu, won the 1,500m freestyle final. Romania now has a total of 6 medals, 4 of them gold and 2 silver. David Popovici, 17, is also the defending senior world champion in the 100m and 200m freestyle events, won in Budapest. Taking part in the championship in Otopeni are some 500 athletes from 42 countries. Romania is represented by 26 swimmers, 14 boys and 12 girls. (AMP)