October 25, 2018 UPDATE

Army Day is celebrated in Romania/The Superior Council of Magistracy will hear Augustin Lazar on November 13

Newsroom, 25.10.2018, 18:53

ARMY DAY – The Romanian Army Day was celebrated on Thursday in all
garrisons in the country, in the countries where Bucharest has accredited
military attaches and in all military bases and theatres of operations where
Romanian military are dispatched. Efforts must continue to modernize the army
in line with NATO standards, President Klaus Iohannis has said, adding that the
Defense Ministry should make transparent use of the 2% of the GDP it has been
allotted. The President said Romania is an important pillar of stability in the
region and a reliable NATO and EU partner. The army is a fundamental state
institution contributing to Romania’s credibility worldwide, Prime Minister
Viorica Dancila also said. In turn, Defense Minister Mihai Fifor said the Romanian
Army Day is an important landmark, not only in the military traditions
timetable, but also for the entire nation. According to him, thanks to the
ultimate sacrifice made by its heroes, Romania was among the independent states
of Europe in the late 19th century, and the descendants of these
brave people, made possible the creation of the Romanian unitary state, on
December 1, 1918. Also on Thursday, 633 Romanian military who fell in the line
of duty in Stalingrad were reburied in the Romanian Memorial Cemetery in
Rossoshka, in the Russian Federation. The earthy remains of 1,644 Romanian
military who died in the line of duty in the toughest battle of the past
century were entombed in this memorial cemetery, laid out in 2015.

PROSECUTOR GENERAL – The prosecutors’ section of the Superior Council
of Magistracy has announced that it will hear Romania’s Prosecutor General,
Augustin Lazar, on November 13, before expressing an opinion on the decision
made by the justice minister Tudorel Toader, to initiate the procedure to
remove Lazar from office. The opinion issued by the Superior Council of
Magistracy is only consultative, as the Prosecutor General is nominated and
sacked by the President of Romania. Toader is accusing Lazar mostly of failing
to comply with his legal duties. Lazar says however that observing
constitutional principles and values has always been the underlying principle
of all the decisions he has made. President Iohannis said he appreciates the
activity of the prosecutor general and says Toader’s decision is inadequate and
bound to undermine trust in the system and stir the concern of Romania’s
European partners. The President also called for Toader’s resignation.

NATO EXERCISE – NATO is carrying out in
Norway the biggest military exercise since the end of the Cold War. Trident Juncture 18 will
involve around 50,000 personnel from NATO Allies and partner countries, about
250 aircraft, 65 vessels and up to 10,000 vehicles. It takes place from October
25 to November 7 in central and eastern Norway, the surrounding areas of the
North Atlantic and the Baltic Sea, including Iceland and the airspace of
Finland and Sweden, Reuters reports. NATO Secretary General, Norwegian Jens Stoltenberg, said the security climate has
significantly deteriorated in Europe over the past few years. He said that
Trident Juncture will send a clear message that NATO does not look for
confrontation, but is ready to defend all its allies from all threats. The
spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, criticized in
early October what she called the sound of arms.

BALLISTIC – The European countries
which are hosting US missile systems will become Russia’s targets in the event
of a war- Russian president Vladimir Putin has warned against the backdrop of
the Trump Administration’s announcement to withdraw the US from the
Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. The White House leader claims Russia
has violated the Treaty. In response, the Putin Administration has repeatedly
said that the ballistic systems placed by the US in Europe, including Romania,
are violations of the agreement. In response, the Romanian Foreign Ministry
says the reference to the Deveselu antiballistic shield is irrelevant in the
context of the Treaty, given that this system is not part of it. The Ministry
recalls that the anti-ballistic shield is purely defensive and represents a
response to current threats, also observing international commitments. Russia
has received all assurances and explanations both from Romania and NATO in that
respect, the Ministry also writes.

AMCHAM – President Klaus Iohannis on Thursday received a delegation
of the American Chamber of Commerce in the EU, discussing aspects about
bilateral relations between Romania and the United States, the EU-US
trans-Atlantic partnership, as well as Romania’s presidency of the European
Council in 2019. Tlaks also focused on Brexit and the business environment.
President Iohannis said Romania’s Strategic Partnership with the US is key to
the security and prosperity of both countries, while trade and investment play
an important role. AmCham EU is an organization representing the interests of
150 US businesses in Europe.

NOMINATION – University Professor Nicolae Hurduc was nominated by
Prime Minister Viorica Dancila to fill the position of Minister of Research.
Hurduc is the dean of the Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Environment
Protection with the Gheorghe Asachi University in Iasi and is known as the
most reputed researchers in the field of macro-molecular chemistry. He is also
one of Romania’s three representatives in the European Organization for Nuclear
Research. We recall the outgoing Minister of Research and Innovation, Nicolae
Burnete, resigned on August 31.

(Translated
by D. Vijeu & V. Palcu)