June 17, 2015
Click here for a roundup of domestic and international news
Bogdan Matei, 17.06.2015, 12:00
Romanian President Klaus Johannis in Bucharest today will be holding an official meeting with his Portuguese counterpart Anibal Cavaco Silva. The meeting occurs one day after Klaus Johannis’ official visit to Zagreb, where he was invited by his Croat counterpart, Mrs Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović. Romania’s experience as an EU member state, the joint work within the Union, as well as the two countries’ minorities issue were high on the agenda of Romanian-Croatian official talks.
Romania’s Foreign Affairs Minister Bogdan Aurescu as of today is on a two-day official visit to neighboring Republic of Moldova. Aurescu will be received in audience by Moldovan President Nicolai Timofti and by Parliament President Andrian Candu. Bogdan Aurescu will also have consultations with his counterpart Natalia Gherman. Romania’s Foreign Affairs Minister will also hold meetings with leaders of political groups in Chisinau. Aurescu will also inaugurate Romania’s Information Center opened at the State University of Comrat, the seat of Gagauzia in the south, which is a region with a predominantly Turkish-speaking population of Christian-Orthodox persuasion. The Romanian Foreign Minister in Chisinau on Thursday will be taking part in a joint meeting of Foreign Affairs Ministers of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization member states. The meeting marks the taking over by Romania of the organization’ s rotating presidency. Pundits in Bucharest view the visit as a support signal for the neighboring state’s European integration efforts, against the backdrop of the frailty of the pro-Western current government. Following accusations of having forged his baccalaureate diploma, Prime Minister Chiril Gaburici on Friday tendered his resignation, while on Sunday, in the first local election ballot, the pro-Moscow leftist groups have added several important wins to their political record.
More than 1,000 military of 25 NATO member states in the Cincu target range are today taking part in TRIDENT JOUST 15 large-scale exercise, a NATO collective defense operation. For the first time ever as part of the exercise, structures of Allied Joint Force Command will be deployed to Romania. Also as an absolute first, the shifting of command and control to a deployed location will be exercised, for NATO Response Force. Also, garrisons and target ranges as of yesterday are the venue for a multi-national special Operation Forces exercise ROUSOFEX15. Taking part in the exercise are military from Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Republic of Moldova, Poland the United States of America and Turkey.
EU Interior Ministers have failed to reach an agreement in Luxembourg yesterday, as regards the distribution of the 60 thousand illegal migrants among EU member states, the BBC informs. European Commissioner for migration Dimitris Avramopoulos underscored that only a compulsory and not an optional mechanism would be operational for migrants’ distribution, given that several countries have opposed the European Commission’s present proposal, stipulating that refugees quotas are calculated using an algorithm which takes into account each country’s GDP, its population, the unemployment rate and the number of refugees who have already been offered sanctuary. According to the scheme, Romania will have to take over 2,362 migrants. In a separate development, Italy has threatened it would grant Schengen visas to extra-community citizens, so that they can travel freely in the community area, should the European Commission project fail to be adopted. We recall Italy has been worst-hit by the wave of the illegal migrants who keep on arriving in Europe crossing the Mediterranean Sea.
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker yesterday accused the Greek Government of deliberately misleading its electorate regarding the debt crisis rescue solutions. The response has occurred as Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras stated international lenders have tried to “humiliate” the country, the BBC has announced. Jean Claude Juncker, as a mediator, specified he suggested Tsipras a lowering of the defence budget. However, Juncker has denied the fact he suggested Greece to increase the VAT for medicines and electricity, as authorities in Athens have informed. Euro Zone finance Ministers convene yet again on Thursday, in a bid to strike a deal with Greece, a country that runs the risk of filing for insolvency. International lenders have stepped up pressure so that Greece can adopt the required reforms, in exchange for a fresh aid package to be disbursed for that country.
NATO and the USA have criticized Russia’s announcement that it would enhance its nuclear capabilities with 40 new intercontinental ballistic rockets. US Secretary of State John Kerry has voiced his concern as regards the aftermath of Russia’s decision, while NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has described the measure as “destabilizing and dangerous”. President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday announced the strengthening of Russia’s nuclear attack force, in response to US plans to place heavy weapons in Eastern Europe.
