September 11, 2018 UPDATE

The PM of Slovakia Peter Pellegrini had talks in Bucharest with his Romanian counterpart Viorica Dăncilă and President Klaus Iohannis/ Romanian Deputies discussed a simple motion tabled by the Liberals against the Interior Minister Carmen Dan

Mihai Pelin, 11.09.2018, 19:26

VISIT – The Prime Minister of Slovakia, Peter Pellegrini, had talks in Bucharest on Tuesday with his Romanian counterpart, Viorica Dăncilă. The latter said that during the Romanian presidency of the EU Council in the first half of next year, Romania will pay special attention to the negotiations on the multi-annual financial framework for 2021-2027. PM Dǎncilǎ also added that the goal of strengthening the EU domestic security will be one of Romanias priorities during its presidential term. In turn, the Slovak PM, Peter Pellegrini underlined that Slovakia supports Romania in its effort to join Schengen, adding that an extension of the free movement area is needed to better protect the EU. In terms of bilateral relations, Viorica Dăncilă and Peter Pellegrini discussed ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation, particularly in the field of defence and energy. A bilateral cooperation protocol was signed, which will benefit the Romanian workers employed in Slovakia, as well as a ministry-level Education Cooperation Programme. Also on Tuesday, PM Peter Pellegrini was received by President Klaus Iohannis, for talks on topical issues.

ROMANIAN-DUTCH RELATIONS – Romanias President, Klaus Iohannis, will receive in Bucharest on Wednesday the Dutch PM, Mark Rutte. According to a communiqué released by the Presidential Administration, the stage of bilateral relations and the focal points on the European agenda will be approached during the talks. The Romanian presidency of the Eu Council, in the first half of 2019, the future EU Multiannual Financial Framework for 2021-2027, ways to tackle migration and Brexit will also be on the agenda of talks, according to the Presidential Administration.

CONSULTATIONS – The President of Romania Klaus Iohannis on Tuesday received the foreign ministers of Poland, Jacek Czaputowicz, and Turkey, Mevlut Cavusoglu, accompanied by their Romanian counterpart Teodor Meleşcanu, who had taken part in an informal three-party meeting on security-related topics. According to the Presidential Administration, the talks focused on the main means of cooperation in this format, launched in 2012 at Romanias initiative in order to promote the regional and international security agenda, working on the conclusions of the NATO summit in Brussels in July. Jacek Czaputowicz and Mevlut Cavuşoglu pointed out that Romania is a trustworthy ally and partner, with which they share similar security assessments. Also on Tuesday, on the side lines of the consultations, ministers Jacek Czaputowicz and Mevlut Cavuşoglu had talks with PM Viorica Dăncilă. The three-party meeting in Bucharest between Romania, Turkey and Poland is the 5th in this format, the previous one being held in Warsaw last year.

PARLIAMENT – The Chamber of Deputies in Bucharest on Tuesday discussed a simple motion tabled by the National Liberal Party, in Opposition, against the Interior Minister Carmen Dan. The motion, entitled “The Social Democratic Partys batons, a slap in the face of Romanian democracy, will be voted upon on Wednesday. The Liberals accuse Carmen Dan of having coordinated the brutal intervention against the participants in the anti-governmental protests of August 10th in Bucharest. On Monday, hundreds of people protested again, in the same place, and demanded the resignation of the Cabinet and of those responsible for the gendarme intervention. More than 400 people were injured a month ago, and the General Prosecutors Office initiated hearings in the case, with the Mayor General of Bucharest Gabriela Firea also heard. She requested the resignation of the Interior Minister, who, Firea claims, is trying to pass responsibility for the brutal gendarme intervention to the prefect of Bucharest. So far 770 victims of the clashes have filed criminal complaints. The Senates defence committee is also holding hearings concerning the protests of August 10th.

FAMILY-The Romanian Senate, as a decision making forum, on Tuesday adopted a proposal to revise the Constitution in order to redefine the concept of family, with 107 “yeas and 13 “nays. The leader of the Social Democratic Party, the senior member of the ruling coalition, Liviu Dragnea, in his capacity as Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, has recently announced the referendum on family will be held on October 7. Several NGOs, grouped into the so-called “Coalition for Family, have collected some three millions signatures, in order to hold a referendum to block same-sex marriages. In its current form, the Constitution stipulates that the family is based on the freely consented marriage between spouses, whereas the “Coalition for Family would like the text to stipulate the marriage between a man and a woman.

9/11 – Leading politicians in Bucharest have expressed solidarity with the American people, on the day when the country commemorates the tragedy of September 11 2001, and have reiterated Romanias commitment to fighting “against the common threat of terrorism. The entire international community commemorates 17 years since the terrorist attacks in the US, when around 3,000 people were killed, including 5 Romanian nationals.

RUSSIA – Russia on Tuesday launched the largest-scale military moves in its history, criticised by NATO as a rehearsal for a major conflict. According to the Russian defence ministry, around 300,000 troops will take part, including Chinese and Mongolian forces, 36,000 vehicles, 1,000 aircraft and 80 sea vessels. The large drill, called East-2018, will take place until September 17, in eastern Siberia and the Russian Far East. The drills take place in the context of lingering tensions between Russia and the West, marked by the Ukrainian crisis, the conflict in Syria and countless allegations of Russia meddling with the domestic policy of other countries, including the US, international news agencies say. (Translated by AM Popescu and D. Vijeu)