March 8, 2022 UPDATE
A roundup of local and international news.
Newsroom, 08.03.2022, 19:52
UKRAINE — Russia has sent into Ukraine almost all its initial invasion forces that had been amassed on the border, so most of its 150,000 soldiers are now on the Ukrainian territory, the Pentagon announced on Monday. Moscow continues its offensive to the north, towards Kyiv and to the south, towards the Azov Sea and the Black Sea. Russian ships are now preparing an attack on the city of Odessa, the Radio Romania correspondent reported. He also said that the local administration continues to urge people to leave the city, which is a strategic target for the invaders. A new round of negotiations between Ukraine and Russia has been announced for the next few days, without a firm date being announced. A meeting of the Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers, with the participation of the Turkish foreign minister and mediated by the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is to be held on Thursday in Antalya, Turkey. The UN has requested free passage corridors in the war zones to deliver humanitarian aid to the population. More than 2 million Ukrainians have fled war in less than two weeks, the UN also announced. The World Health Organisation has announced that attacks on hospitals, ambulances and medical facilities in Ukraine have become more frequent, leaving the country without vital medical supplies.
BUCHAREST – Romanian President Klaus Iohannis on Tuesday took part in a videoconference with the European Council President, Charles Michel, aimed at preparing the informal meeting of the European Council due on March 10 and 11 in Versailles. Attending were the prime ministers of the Netherlands, Greece, Croatia and Estonia. Talks focused, among others, on current security evolutions in Ukraine, efforts to manage and support the wave of Ukrainian refugees and humanitarian aid for Ukraine and Moldova. President Iohannis said Romania also supports the EU accession applications of Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia. Also on Tuesday, President Iohannis said in Bucharest that the Russian invasion of Ukraine proved, once again, the need for NATO to consolidate its eastern flank. Iohannis made this statement during a trilateral meeting with Poland and Turkey, at the level of national security advisors. Iohannis hailed the recent decisions taken by NATO to deploy more forces on the eastern flank, and activate the NATO Response Force for collective defence and deterrence.
CORONAVIRUS — Romanian Health Minister Alexandru Rafila said Tuesday that, starting March 9, all Covid-related restrictions will be lifted as the state of alert expires and will no longer be extended. Mask wearing will no longer be mandatory either outdoors or indoors, and the access to and schedule of commercial centres and public institutions will be unrestricted. Also, the green certificate and traveller location documents will no longer be required at checkpoints. The epidemic sees a declining trend across the country, with the 5th wave of the pandemic close to the end, president Klaus Iohannis said last week. Romania was on alert for nearly 2 years, beginning on May 15, 2020. Over these 2 years, says the Strategic Communication Group, some 64,000 SARS-CoV-2 patients died in Romania.
VISIT – Romanian president Klaus Iohannis will have political consultations on Friday in Bucharest with the Vice President of the United States, Kamala Harris, who pays an official visit to Romania, the Presidential Administration announced. The American official’s visit to Romania reconfirms the solidity of the bilateral Strategic Partnership and the firm commitment of the United States to supporting the security of Romania and of the NATO allies on the eastern flank, the Presidential Administration also announced.
MOTION – A simple motion initiated by the Save Romania Union (USR, in opposition) against the Liberal Justice Minister Catalin Predoiu will be debated and voted on, on March 14, the Chamber of Deputies’ Standing Bureau announced on Tuesday. In the motion, the USR deputies are asking the Justice Minister to resign, saying that the dismantling of the Section for the Investigation of Crimes within the Judiciary, believed to have been set up to intimidate magistrates and end anti-corruption efforts, has been replaced with a similar but more harmful mechanism. (EE)
