October 12, 2023 UPDATE

Click here for a roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 12.10.2023, 20:45

INITIATIVE Romania has signed the letter
of intent on joining the Initiative regarding the identification of
multinational solutions for the use of Cross-Border Airspace by NATO planes.
Its implementation will ensure the coherence of the measures taken by NATO in
the Black Sea region and the entire Eastern Flank to deter any hostile actions
against the security of the allies, a communiqué of the Ministry of Defence
says. In another development Romania Bulgaria and Greece have established a
partnership for the creation of a fuel supply corridor to cover NATO needs in times
of war or peace. According to the Romanian Ministry of Defence, the three
parties signed a letter of intent in Brussels on Wednesday. The project will be
funded with support from the Organization of the North Atlantic Treaty and it
is different from the fuel corridors funded by the European Union. Early this
week, the city of Varna in Bulgaria hosted a meeting between the Prime
Ministers of the three states involved and talks focused on both transport
infrastructure and energy projects unfolding under the umbrella of the European
Commission.

CSAT On
Thursday in Bucharest, Romania’s Higher Defence Council, CSAT, decided the
setting up of an inter-institutional working group with a view to drawing up a
joint action plan for the prevention and effective fighting of the risks caused
by drug trafficking and consumption against individual and collective safety.
Working groups are also to be set up at county level while the Executive will be
focusing on amending and completing the legislation in the field of banned
substances for the elimination of the legislative gaps and limitation of the
possibilities of the speculative interpretation of the legal provisions. An
appropriate institutional medical framework is also being considered with a
view to ensuring the access to treatment and recovery services, certain
investigations and integrated protection measures against the risks associated
with the consumption of illegal substances among students and young people.
Another topical issue was the security situation in the Black Sea region
against the latest developments in Ukraine. In this context the Defence
Ministry has presented a series of concrete measures for increasing the air
surveillance capabilities in the Romanian regions close to the Ukrainian
objectives targeted by the Russian troops.

VISIT American Secretary of State
Antony Blinken on Thursday, while visiting Tel Aviv, said that the United
States would always support Israel, and emphasized that what he called the
legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people are not represented by the Hamas
Islamist movement. In a press conference after his meeting with Israeli PM
Benjamin Netanyahu, Bliken underlined the fact that 25 Americans had been
killed in Hamas attacks in Israel, and that Washington is working closely with
Tel Aviv to secure the release of hostages in Gaza. In turn, Netanyahu said his
country would crush Hamas, urging the international community to treat the
members of the movement as they would members of ISIS. On Friday, Secretary
Blinken is set to meet Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas.

(bill)