March 15, 2014

For a roundup of domestic and international news, click here.

Ştefan Stoica, 15.03.2014, 12:00

VISIT – EU Member States, including Romania, should do more to make the Republic of Moldova and Georgia feel wanted in Europe, Prime Minister Victor Ponta has announced in Tbilisi. In turn, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili thanked Romania for its support in its efforts to join the EU and NATO. As regards economic cooperation, the two officials decided that after a 12-year break, the joint inter-governmental committee should resume its plenary sessions. Prior to his visit to Georgia, Victor Ponta made a quick visit to Moldova, where he met with Prime Minister Iurie Leanca. We recall that at the Eastern Partnership summit in Vilnius last year the Republic of Moldova and Georgia initialled Association and Free Trade Agreements with the European Union.

UKRAINE – Members of the UN Security Council are meeting in an emergency session to vote a Western resolution condemning Sunday’s referendum on the annexing of Crimea to Russia, France Press reports. Western diplomats are expecting Russia to veto the move. If China abstains, the UN wants to continue isolation sanctions against Russia. The resolution does not strictly refer to Russia, nor does it call on this country to withdraw its troops from Crimea. Moreover, the project provides no sanctions in itself. The United States and its European allies, including Romania, have considered Sunday’s referendum as illegal. On the other hand, Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatseniuk has announced that the political section of the Association Agreement with the European Union will be signed on March 21. The economic section of the agreement was what ousted president Viktor Yanukovich refused to sign in November last year. His refusal unleashed mass-protests which led to his removal from power.

SPORTS – Romania’s national rugby team on Saturday is playing Georgia in the final match counting towards the 2014 edition of the European Cup of Nations. The winner will be the leader for the second European group and will qualify to Group C in the 2015 World Cup, alongside New Zealand, Argentina, Tonga and Africa 1. The loser will be ranked second and will play in the World Cup to be held in England in Group D, alongside France, Italy, Ireland and Canada. Also from sports, let us also note that Simona Halep has failed to qualify to the Indian Wells finals, totalling nearly 6 million dollars in prize money. Halep lost to WTA 3rd ranked Agnieszka Radawanska of Poland. As of Monday, Halep will be ranked 5th in WTA standings, the all-time best ranking for a Romanian tennis player.

DECISION – Romanian towns in central Romania with a majority Hungarian-speaking population are today marking the Day of Hungarians Worldwide. On Friday, Romanian authorities have decided to deny access on Romanian territory to certain Hungarian nationals, arguing they are allegedly carrying out extremist activities as part of various organizations, including the far-right Hungarian Jobbik Party. The measure was taken to prevent any incidents likely to disrupt public order and national security, the Romanian Interior Ministry has announced. On Monday, an unauthorized march in Targu Mures held by representatives of Jobbik and irredentist organizations of ethnic Hungarians spiralled into clashes with the riot police. In another move, the Directorate for Inspecting Organized Crime and Terrorism reports that prosecutors last year opened an investigation of several people believed to have commited crimes against Romania’s Constitutional order during a series of manifestations aimed at promoting the Jobbik party.

SYRIA – The conflict in Syria is as of today entering its fourth year. On March 15, 2011 anti-government protests escalated in Syria. In the following months the authorities mounted a brutal repression against protesters, which has so far killed 150,000 people. The Syrian Civil war also caused one of the gravest humanitarian crises in the history of the United Nations. Millions of civilians were forced to flee the string of violence sweeping their country.

MISSING PLANE – Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has today called of searches of the 777 Boeing Airplane in the South China Sea. The plane went off grid a week ago. Preliminary information showed the plane deviated from its planned route while over the western Malaysian peninsula. The movements of the Flight MH370 are the result of deliberate action, the Prime Minister said, without confirmation a possible highjack. The Malaysian official said the plane’s coms were disabled, although satellite contact remained active for another six hours after the plane disappeared from civilian radars. At the moment the plane was at the halfpoint of its route to Beijing, with a flight time of one hour and a half. It was carrying 239 people on board.