March 23, 2014
A roundup of domestic and international news.
România Internațional, 23.03.2014, 13:15
The pro-Russian troops have taken control of several Ukrainian military bases in Crimea, a peninsula recently absorbed into the Russian Federation. Meanwhile, large-scale protests for the unity of Ukraine’s territory are being staged in Kiev today. The European Union and the United States, which have recently extended their list with Russian officials subject to economic sanctions, continue to call on Russia to start negotiations aimed at putting an end to the crisis in Crimea. The situation in the peninsula is to be discussed by the US Secretary of State John Kerry and the Russian Foreign Minister Serghei Lavrov, ahead of the summit on nuclear security due on Monday and Tuesday in The Hague.
Romania shares the stand of its European and Euro-Atlantic partners on the crisis in Crimea, Romanian foreign minister Titus Corlatean has said. He pointed out that the huge volume of trade between the Western countries and Russia should make Kremlin start political dialogue and dismiss a military option as far as Crimea is concerned. On Saturday, Romanian President Traian Basescu reiterated the idea that the Black Sea was turned into a ”Russian lake”, given the frozen conflicts around it and the display of Russian military arsenal. According to President Basescu, Transdniester, a pro-Russian region on the territory of the Republic of Moldova, might be Russia’s next target. The entire Romanian political class has firmly criticised the deployment of Russian troops in Crimea.
The Venice Commission green lighted Romania’s draft Constitution, but made several recommendations, Senate deputy speaker Ion Chelaru, has announced. Chelaru has pointed out that debates will be held to revise some laws but that the main attributions of state institutions will not be changed. The Higher Council of Magistracy and the civil society will take part in the debates. Nevertheless, a referendum on the revision of Romania’s Constitution will not be held any time before 2015, the Senate deputy speaker has stated.
The works of the 26th European Regional Meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Francophonie end today in the city of Suceava, in north-eastern Romania. Attending the conference, head of the Mission of the European Region of the Parliamentary Assembly of Francophonie Jean-Paul Wahl , has said Romania is insufficiently acknowledged and represented among the French-speaking countries. Except for the countries where French is the official language, Romania shares most of the French values in terms of culture and civilisation, the official has said.
As many as 45 million French people are expected to cast their ballots today in the first round of the local elections, which are seen, according to France Press, as a test for the socialist administration of president Francois Hollande and of prime minister Jean-Marc Ayrault, who have been ruling the country for almost two years. According to the latest opinion polls, the voter turnout will stand at about 40%.
