March 23, 2014 UPDATE

A roundup of domestic and international news.

România Internațional, 23.03.2014, 19:26

The situation in Ukraine will be discussed by the US Secretary of State John Kerry and the Russian For Min Serghei Lavrov ahead of the Nuclear Security Summit due on Monday and Tuesday in The Hague. The pro-Russian troops have taken control of several Ukrainian military bases in Crimea, a peninsula recently absorbed into the Russian Federation. The risk of a military conflict between Ukraine and Russia has increased, the Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrei Descita has said, against the background of the Russian army having dispatched troops along the Ukrainian border. In his turn, NATO Supreme Allied Commander, General Philip Breedlove, says that the Alliance has to reposition its military forces and improve its reaction capacity, in the context of the risk of a Russian intervention in eastern Ukraine and Transniester, a pro-Russian region on the territory of the Republic of Moldova.

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 Westernn 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 sturned 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.

Chinese president Xi Jinping has started his European tour and he is now in the Netherlands, to attend, on Monday and Tuesday, in The Hague, the Nuclear Security Summit. At the summit, Xi Jinping will meet with his American counterpart Barack Obama. Over 50 world leaders are meeting to discuss ways of preventing nuclear terrorism around the globe. From the Netherlands, the Chinese President will go to France, to meet on Tuesday with his counterpart Francois Hollande and then to Berlin, Germany, to hold talks with Chancellor Angela Merkel. France Press reports that the Chinese pesident’s visit takes place at a time when Europe witnesses the most serious diplomatic crisis since the end of the Cold War.

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.