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March 5, 2022

A roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 05.03.2022, 13:52

Refugees. The head of the Romanian state, Klaus Iohannis, is visiting today the mobile refugee camp in Siret, Suceava county (northeast), the Presidential Administration has announced. More than 170,000 Ukrainian refugees have crossed the border into Romania since the beginning of the Russian invasion. Of these, about 60,000 have remained in Romania. President Iohannis talked with the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, during her visit to Bucharest, about increasing the support to Ukraine. He pointed out that efforts were being made to render operational, as soon as possible, on the Romanian territory, a humanitarian hub that will allow the collection and transport of international donations for Ukraine. President Klaus Iohannis also spoke in Bucharest with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, about the support given to the Ukrainian refugees, but also to the Republic of Moldova (ex-Soviet, mostly Romanian-speaking), which is also facing a huge inflow of refugees.

Visit. US Vice President Kamala Harris will pay a visit to Poland and Romania on March 9-11 to convey US’s support for the two countries at a time when war is wreaking havoc on Ukraine, the White House has announced. “Her visit will demonstrate the strength and unity of the NATO Alliance and U.S. support for NATO’s eastern flank allies in the face of Russian aggression. It will also highlight our collective efforts to support the people of Ukraine,” reads the statement on the Vice President’s travel. The Vice President’s meetings will also focus on how the United States can further support Ukraine’s neighbors as they welcome and care for refugees fleeing violence. Figures provided by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) show that more than 1.2 million people have fled the war in Ukraine triggered by the invasion of Russian forces. The US Vice Presidents last international trip was last month to the Munich Security Conference, where she met with US allies and partners, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Ukraine. The evacuation of the inhabitants of Mariupol, a Ukrainian strategic port on the Sea of Azov, surrounded by Russian forces, has been postponed due to the multiple violations of the truce by Russia, the city hall has announced, according to AFP. Ukrainian authorities expect more than 200,000 people to leave Mariupol. Moscow had agreed to implement a ceasefire for the cities of Mariupol and Volnovakha.

Exercise. American B-52 Stratofortress bombers flew over Romania and NATOs eastern flank on Friday, in exercises with the Romanian and German armies, as a sign of unity, against the background of the Russian invasion of Ukraine entering the second week, CNN reports. The largest US Air Force strategic bombers took off from RAF Fairford, a Royal British Air Force center, and conducted close air support training and integration missions, according to a statement from the US Air Force in Europe. The B-52 bombers then flew to Romania, where they conducted a close air support training. The overflight across the Romanian airspace brought the bombers closer to the limit of the NATO countries, adjacent to the Ukrainian airspace, where the Russian aviation is trying to establish its air supremacy.

Covid-19. More than 4,800 new cases of people infected with SARS-CoV-2 were registered in 24 hours in Romania, the authorities in Bucharest have announced. 82 related deaths have also been reported, two of which prior to the reference period. On Friday, President Klaus Iohannis announced that the state of alert would not be extended in Romania after March 8. The president has said that the COVID-19 epidemic is now on an accelerated downward trend, and wave 5 is about to end. Established in May 2020, after a two-month state of emergency caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the state of alert has led to numerous restrictions, which have affected economic development and social cohesion in the country. Since the outbreak of the pandemic, over 2.7 million cases of COVID-19 have been registered in Romania, and over 63 thousand people infected with the new coronavirus have died.

Eurovision. The song that will represent Romania at Eurovision 2022 will be chosen, on Saturday evening, at the Eurovision National Selection, organized by the Romanian Television. The show will feature a recital by Ukrainian artist Jamala, winner of the 2016 European Song Contest. Jamala, a refugee from the hell unleashed in her country, will perform the song 1944, which took Eurovision to Kyiv. Eurovision 2022 will take place in Italy, in Turin, with the semifinals on May 10 and 12 and the final on May 14. Romania will enter the competition on May 12. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) announced on February 25 that no Russian artist will take part in this years Eurovision Song Contest, as this would “discredit the competition”. Romanias best performances at Eurovision were: twice the third place (Luminiţa Anghel & Sistem – Kyiv, 2005; Paula Seling and Ovi – Oslo, 2010) and once the fourth place (Mihai Trăistariu – Athens, 2006) . (MI)