July 9, 2016 UPDATE

Romania consolidates its position of NATO member state and regional actor, Romanias President said at the NATO Summit/ The Romanian Foreign Ministry has called on the British authorities to prevent any hostile acts against Romanians in the UK

Florentin Căpitănescu, 09.07.2016, 12:20

NATO SUMMIT — Romania consolidates its position of NATO member state and regional actor, which contributes to maintaining security and stability in an area marked by many risks, Romania’s President, Klaus Iohannis, said on Saturday, at the NATO Summit in Warsaw. The president who deemed the summit a success for Romania, stood for granting committed NATO support to the Republic of Moldova (a former Soviet state with a predominantly Romanian speaking population), Georgia and Ukraine. He also said the crises in Syria, Iraq and Libya, on NATO’s southward border, generate multiple challenges and added that the ISIS terrorist group poses a severe threat to international security. In another move, also on Saturday, NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, said the 28 member states are united in front of Russia, which is neither a threat nor a strategic partner. Strong defence and constructive dialogue are the commitments underlying the Alliance’s relations with Russia, Stoltenberg concluded. On Friday, the first day of the summit, NATO announced the deployment of four multinational battalions to the Baltic States and to Poland and the setting up of a NATO multinational brigade in Romania. A NATO-EU joint declaration on cooperation in such domains as cyber crime and migration has been signed on the sidelines of the summit. The Alliance also decided to further provide support to Afghanistan, by 2020.

BREXIT EFFECTS — The Romanian Foreign Ministry on Saturday called on the British authorities to prevent any mounting tension and hostile acts against Romanian citizens in the United Kingdom. According to the Romanian Foreign Ministry, the Romanian state intends to prevent, through cooperation with the British authorities, any possible spike in acts of intimidation against Romanian citizens. Romanian nationals are urged, in case they are aware of such incidents, to notify the Romanian Embassy in London. The Romanian Foreign Ministry’s reaction comes just a day after a shop belonging to Romanian citizens was set on fire in Norwich, on Friday. On the occasion of the European Council held late last month, British PM David Cameron assured Romania’s President, Klaus Iohannis, that Romanian citizens will be allowed to stay and work in the UK and expressed regret over the xenophobic incidents which were reported after the Brexit vote.

TALKS — Romanian PM Dacian Ciolos has held talks with several Romanian MEPs on the impact of the Brexit vote, on Romania, the EU member states and the future of the European Union. According to a communiqué issued by the Romanian Government, the prime minister said one of Romania’s top priorities, during the forth-coming negotiations, is to make sure the Romanian citizens’ rights are non-discriminatorily observed. Ciolos also underlined how important it is for Romania to pay an active role in re-launching the European project and to show it further embraces and sticks to the fundamental values and principles of the European Union, pleading for a stronger, more inclusive and integrated Union. The focal points of the talks also included the functioning of the Schengen area, external border security, the migration and asylum policy, the visas for Canada, the Republic of Moldova and the relation with the EU, the Juncker Plan, as well as revising the Multi-annual Financial Framework Post 2020.

VISAS— The Head of the Chancellery of the Romanian PM, Dragos Tudorache, will discuss in Brussels on Monday with Canadian immigration minister, John McCallum, as well as with representatives of the European Commission and of Bulgaria, issues related to the lifting by Canada of travel visas for Romanian citizens. Romanian PM, Dacian Ciolos, has said earlier this week that progress has been made in the visa exemption file, also adding that in the absence of a political decision on the issue in Ottawa, Romania, as a EU member state, might, just like Bulgaria, not ratify the EU-Canada Commercial Agreement. In April, Canada and the US received an additional three-month deadline on the visa regime reciprocity, which stipulates that the countries whose citizens do not need mandatory visas should, in their turn, allow the free movement of all EU citizens. Canada now requires mandatory visas for Romanian and Bulgarian citizens, whereas the US imposes visas on five EU member states, Romania included.

DRILLS – Three Romanian military ships will participate in the multinational exercise BREEZE 16, over July 11- 17. The drills will unfold in Bulgaria’s territorial waters and in the Black Sea international waters. Romania’s ships are Frigate “Regina Maria”, with 240 marines on board, the sea minesweeper “Sublocotenent Alexandru AXENTE” and the “Lastun” Missile Carrier, with 60 military on board. The Romanian military ships are part of the forces and equipment made available by Romania to the North Atlantic Alliance, and the participation of the Romanian military in NATO exercises is meant to strengthen the interoperability of the ships’ crews with similar partner military structures.

SPORTS — Romania will be represented by 96 athletes and 7 relays at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, between August 5-21, the Romanian Olympic Committee announced on Saturday. According to the Committee, Romania will take part in 16 sport events, with the largest number of athletes participating in rowing and athletics. Romania’s flag will be carried by gymnast Catalina Ponor. 103 Romanian athletes participated in the previous edition of the Olympic Games, hosted by London, in 2012.