March 10, 2015
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România Internațional, 10.03.2015, 12:00
The activity of the Romanian Defense Ministry in 2014 was marked by the changes in the security environment of the Black Sea extended area and by the increased instability in the southern neighborhood of NATO, said Tuesday the Romanian defense minister, Mircea Dusa, at the annual review meeting. He announced that the two NATO commands to be set up in Romania will be located in Bucharest and are to become operational in 2016 and 2018 respectively. In 2014 as many as 1,200 soldiers participated in missions and operations outside Romania’s territory. Some of last year’s achievements were the anti-missile defense shield located in Deveselu (in the south), the Transit Centre in Mihail Kogalniceanu (in the south east) and two strategic programs meant for the Romanian army’s military endowment. We recall that, at president Iohannis’ initiative, a political agreement was concluded in January with the parliamentary parties stipulating the provision of 2% of the GDP for the Defense Ministry as of 2017.
The Romanian PM Victor Ponta on Tuesday met in Bucharest with a British trade delegation made up of representatives of 50 British companies. He gave assurances to the British investors that, despite the complicated times and the events taking place in Romania’s neighboring countries, Romania is the most stable and predictable state in the region. The PM also said that the number of Romanian-British business partnerships is small in comparison with the existing potential and showed that the IT industry, energy, infrastructure and agriculture are competitive domains that could attract investments. Attending the meeting, the British ambassador to Bucharest, Paul Brummell, said that the two countries are compatible in terms of developing joint economic projects in critical domains such as the oil and gas industries, the nuclear industry, transports and the environment. According to the British ambassador, this is the largest British trade delegation to visit Romania in the past 26 years. Bilateral trade exchanges reached 3 billion euros in 2014 with British investments in Romania standing at present at 6.5 billion euros. The British trade delegation’s visit to Bucharest is part of the British authorities’ larger-scale effort meant to double Great Britain’s trade exchanges with countries from Central and Eastern Europe, to reach 30 billion pounds sterling by 2020.
Romania is officially launching today in Bucharest its candidacy for the organization of the 2021 Summer Universiade. The ceremony will be attended by President Klaus Iohannis, the former gymnasts Nadia Comaneci and Andreea Raducan, fencer Mihai Covaliu as well as Eric Saintrond, the secretary general of the International University Sports Federation. The Universiade is an international sports and cultural event held every two years following a selection process set by the International University Sports Federation, being the 2nd most important event after the Olympic Games. Romania has so far organized one edition of the Universiade in 1981.
Greece and the international lenders are starting tomorrow in Brussels technical discussions with a view to disbursing further funds for Athens. The Greek authorities met Monday evening with the European finance ministers but the meeting yielded no results. The head of the euro group, Jeroen Dijsselbloem, said the Greek government had to make firm promises that it would comply with the pledges made. Under the recently signed agreement with the euro zone countries, Greece will no longer receive further funds until June unless it implements new economic reforms imposed by the creditors. On Friday Greece reimbursed 310 million euros out of a total of one billion and a half, accounting for its debt to the IMF that is to be paid in the next 2 weeks. At present unemployment in Greece affects a quarter of the country’s population. The country’s debt stands at present at almost 315 billion euros, accounting for 175% of the GDP.
Over 90% of the inhabitants of the autonomous territorial unit of Gagauzia, in the south of the Republic of Moldova, an ex-Soviet state with a majority Romanian-speaking population, are in favor of closer relations with Russia. According to a survey, as many as 30% of the more than 150 thousand inhabitants of Gagauzia, mostly Christian –Orthodox Turkish people, want a rapprochement to Turkey and only 5% of the population wants closer relations with the EU. Out of the 11 candidates running in the March 22nd elections for the region’s governor position, Irina Vlah is a favorite being supported by the pro-Russian Socialists, in opposition, and by Moscow. The political options of the Gagauz population differ greatly from the pro-European orientation of the central government in Chisinau.
