March 27, UPDATE
A roundup of domestic and international news
România Internațional, 27.03.2014, 20:03
On Thursday, Romanian President Traian Basescu stated that besides foreign missions, the Romanian Army must also focus on increasing its reaction capacity, against the background of the recent events in Ukraine. The declaration was occasioned by the presentation of the Defense Ministry’s activity report. The crisis in Ukraine, triggered by the annexation of Crimea by Russia, was high on the agenda of Romania’s Higher Defense Council on Thursday too. According to a communiqué issued by the presidency, the meeting focused on the situation in Ukraine and its effects at regional and global level, as well as Bucharest’s role in supporting the Romanian community in the neighboring country. The council members also approved measures regarding the development of the national cyber-security system, aimed, among other things, at protecting Romania against cyber-cream.
Romania and the Republic of Moldova must do whatever they can to be together again, said on Thursday Romania’s President Traian Basescu on the celebration of 96 years since the union between Romania and Bessarabia. In turn, Prime minister Victor Ponta said that Romania would continue to support the full integration of the Republic of Moldova into the European Union. Bucharest and other cities across Romania hosted events celebrating the union. On March 27th, 1918, against the dissolution of the Tsarist Empire, the parliament of Bessarabia voted in favour of the union between that province with a predominantly Romanian speaking population and Romania. It was the first act in the process of building up the national Romania state, which completed the same year with the union with Bucovina, Transylvania, Banat, Maramures and Crisana, which until then had been part of the Habsburg Empire. In 1940, following an ultimatum, Moscow annexed Bessarabia and the north of Bukovina, territories that are now part of Moldova and Ukraine.
On Thursday in Kiev, the IMF announced it granted Ukraine an aid worth 14 to 18 billion dollars, under a stand by agreement spanning two years. This aid, which is supposed to save the country from defaulting, will be approved once Ukraine has adopted the measures requested by the IMF, said the head of the IMF mission to Ukraine, Nikolai Georgiyev. The Kiev Parliament did not manage on Thursday to pass and anti-crisis law approving the austerity measures requested by the IMF. Also on Thursday, the US Senate and House of Representatives adopted by large majority a bill that will allow the US to grant Ukraine loan guarantees worth one billion dollars, as well as fresh sanctions against the annexation of Crimea. Ukraine is now going through a major crisis after Russia’s decision to take over that autonomous region.
The government in Bucharest has hailed IMF’s decision to approve the first and second assessment of the stand-by agreement concluded with Romania last autumn. According to the executive, the approval confirms the sustainability of the budget forecast for 2014 as well as the fact that structural reforms are on the right track. The International Monetary Fund has thus made available for Romania almost 440 million euros but the total amount the country can get access to stands at over 650 million euros.
The Romanian government has approved a partnership agreement for the 2014 — 2020 timeframe, providing for ways of using European funds, a document to be formally submitted to the European Commission in late March, Eugen Teodorovici, minister for European Funds has announced. The Romanian official has voiced hope that the document will be signed in three months at the latest, and until then the EU officials can send in their observations. The agreement sets several priorities in terms of economic competitiveness, infrastructure administration and governance. Minister Teodorovici has also said that documents on operational programmes will be formally submitted to the European Commission in May.
The US President Barack Obama, currently on a visit to Italy was received on Thursday, for the first time, by Pope Francis. The two voiced their commitment to eradicating human trafficking at global level. The Pope and the US president discussed major issues concerning church in the US, as well as the right to religious freedom. Baracak Obama also met with the Italian President Giorgio Napolitano and the new prime-minister, Matteo Renzi. He stressed the fact that the partnership between Washington and Rome is one of the strongest ties between the US and Europe. The US leader also thanked Italy for its commitment to NATO. Italy is the third leg of President Obama’s tour of Europe and Saudi Arabia, after the Netherlands and Belgium.
