June 27, 2022 UPDATE
A news update
Newsroom, 27.06.2022, 19:50
G 7 — The G7 leaders meeting on Monday in Germany reiterated their indestructible support for Ukraine, promising in particular military and financial support for “as long as necessary,” AFP reports. Germany, the US, France, Canada, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom have urged Russia to allow cereal exports from Ukraine, which it invaded on February 24, to avoid exacerbating the global food crisis. The G7 countries have called on Moscow to “unconditionally end attacks on agricultural and transport infrastructure and allow the free passage of agricultural goods from the Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea.” They also expressed “deep concern” over Russias announcement that it could transfer nuclear-fired missiles to Belarus. The heads of state and government held a video conference on Monday morning with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenski, who called on them to “do their best” to end the war, which is devastating their country, before the end of the year.
Reactors – President Klaus Iohannis and Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca welcomed the announcement made on Sunday by US President Joe Biden at the G7 summit in Germany, according to which the United States will invest 14 million dollars in the preliminary stage of engineering and design studies for the development of small modular reactors in Romania. Ensuring energy security is a common goal of the Romanian-American Strategic Partnership, Klaus Iohannis wrote on social media, while Nicolae Ciuca said in a statement, among other things, that the development of the nuclear program will boost economic growth.
Partnership – Romanias two-chamber parliament will convene on Tuesday in a joint meeting dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the conclusion of the Strategic Partnership between Romania and the US. The Romanian authorities have underlined that this collaboration has been an essential landmark for the countrys foreign policy over the years, as well as a tool for supporting domestic efforts for Romanias economic, military and administrative reforms. In a Facebook post, Romanias Ambassador to Washington, Andrei Muraru, says that he was received at the White House by president Joe Biden, to whom he conveyed the message of president Iohannis and the Romanian states will to strengthen the strategic partnership between the two countries. The Romanian official stated that “without President Bidens courage and determination, NATO may not have been as strong and united as it is today”. The White House leader thanked Romania for the invaluable help it has provided to Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian invasion.
Baccalaureate – The Romanian Education Minister, Sorin Câmpeanu, said Monday that this years Baccalaureate exams produced the best results in the last 10 years, and this was due to the simplification of the subjects. The pass rate of the Baccalaureate exam was over 73%. 162 students got a final 10, 32 of whom are from Bucharest. The highest pass rate was registered in Cluj county (northwest), Campeanu also said. The results can be seen on the bacalaureat.edu.ro platform and on the schools notice boards. The identity of the students will not be disclosed, their names being replaced by the individual codes received at the first test. More than 126,000 high school graduates sat for the Baccalaureate exam this year, the lowest number since the 1989 anti-communist revolution.
Champion – The Romanian government approved on Monday a decision under which the swimmer David Popovici will be awarded 200 thousand Euros for the exceptional results obtained at the World Swimming Championships in Budapest. The double world champion was received by Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca at Victoria Palace. The PM congratulated him for his extraordinary victory which brought him gold in the 200 and 100 meters freestyle event. Another Romanian, Robert Glinţă came 5th in the 50-meter backstroke final and 8th in the 100-meter backstroke event.
Summit — The Romanian President, Klaus Iohannis, participates, as of Tuesday until Thursday, in the NATO summit hosted by Madrid. According to the Presidential Administration, the war in Ukraine and the security crisis in the Black Sea region are the main topics on the agenda. The Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is to deliver a video speech in the first part of the meeting in the Spanish capital. During the summit, the Romanian president will welcome the fact that the current security situation was reflected in the Alliance’s new strategic concept, starting from the recognition of Russia as the main threat to NATO, and the fact that the strategic importance of the Black Sea region for Euro-Atlantic security was mentioned for the first time. Klaus Iohannis will emphasize Romanias significant contribution to supporting Ukraine at humanitarian level, as well as the most vulnerable partners, especially those in the eastern neighborhood, mainly the Republic of Moldova (an ex-Soviet country with a majority Romanian-speaking population) and Georgia. Klaus Iohannis will reiterate Romanias firm support for NATOs “open door” policy, including the accession of Finland and Sweden to the North Atlantic Alliance.
Meeting – The Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu on Monday met in Bucharest with his Serbian counterpart, Nikola Selakovic, on the occasion of the latter’s visit to Romania, at the invitation of the Romanian FM. According to Bogdan Aurescu, the two discussed the importance of Serbias European path, which, from Romanias point of view, must be completed as soon as possible by Serbia joining the European Union as a full member. The talks also focused on the importance of the European Unions partners, including Serbia, aligning to the Unions common foreign and security policy, given the complicated regional context. In his turn, the Serbian Foreign Minister Nikola Selakovic said that Serbia was grateful to Romania for the support granted for its European path. (LS)
