10 November, 2017 UPDATE

A roundup of the main stories in Romania today.

Newsroom, 10.11.2017, 19:41

Veterans Day. Veterans Day is celebrated in Romania on the 11th of November. Special events and tributes will be held at the tombs and memorials commemorating the sacrifice and heroism of the Romanian soldiers who died in theatres of operation. Veterans Day has been celebrated in this country since 2014, on the same day as in other countries in Europe as well as the United States, Canada and Australia. 11th of November marks the armistice of 1918 between the Entente and Germany that put an end to World War One. Tribute will also be paid to the 29 Romanian military killed in international missions in Afghanistan, Iraq and Bosnia Hertegovina. The first Romanian soldier to be killed in a theatre of operations died in November 2003 in Afghanistan.

Defence. The Romanian defence minister Mihai Fifor, who attended a NATO meeting of defence ministers in Brussels, presented the progress made in implementing the adapted advanced presence in the Black Sea region. This refers to the transformation of the headquarters of the Multinational Brigade in Craiova, southern Romania, into a NATO structure, the enhanced presence of the allied naval forces in the Black Sea, air policing activities to patrol Romanias airspace and the allies participation in exercises on Romanian territory. Mihai Fifor also said Romania is on the point of finalising, alongside Bulgaria and Turkey, the concept of NATO Training Cooperation Initiative. This refers to the joint training of the military of the Black Sea states who are NATO members, with the first coordinated action being scheduled for the beginning of December.

Visa Waiver. Romania is one of the few remaining democratic allies not to be included in the Visa Waiver Program and this should change, US Congressman Dan Lipinski has said, being quoted in a press release recently posted on the website of the US House of Representatives. He said Romanias inclusion in the Visa Waiver program would boost cooperation in the field of security and improve trade and economic relations and mutual tourism. Dan Lipinski emphasised that “since the 1989 Romanian Revolution, which ended communist authoritarian rule, Romania has become a steadfast ally of the United States”. The US Congressman said Romania is a true security partner, one of the largest contributors of troops to the fight in Afghanistan, has welcomed US forces being stationed along the Black Sea and hosts NATOs new multinational brigade.

Romania-Belarus. The Romanian foreign minister Teodor Melescanu paid an official visit to Belarus on Thursday and Friday. He had talks with this counterpart in Minsk, Vladimir Makei about bilateral relations, economic exchanges and the prospects of the EU-Belarus relationship. Melescanu said Romania welcomed the rapprochement in the dialogue between the European Union and Belarus, which he always supported. He also met prime minister Andrei Kobyakov, who said Belarus may become a launch pad for Romanias entering the market of the Eurasian Economic Union. Teodor Melescanu attended a public diplomacy event to celebrate the 25th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Romania and Belarus. The event saw the launch of a stamp issue featuring painters Corneliu Baba and Mikhail Savitsky and of a book of poems by Mihai Eminescu translated into Belarusian.

Ambassador. Romanias ambassador to the US George Maior has travelled to the states of Oregon and Washington for a series of meetings aimed to attract American investments to Romania. He also had talks with representatives of the local administration and academic and university community and met members of the Romanian-American community. Maior gave a talk at Portland State University about the strategic bilateral cooperation on the NATO eastern flank, emphasising that Bucharest may be considered the USs most solid ally in the region. Given the current security challenges in the extended Black Sea area, Maior said it was vital for NATO to strengthen its defence and deterrence capacity, while boosting the American presence in this area forms the central element of this effort.

Gas stocks. Romania has the necessary natural gas stocks for this winter and the supply to consumers is expected to take place in normal conditions and meet the technical standards, the Energy Ministry in Bucharest writes in a communiqué. A similar announcement was made by the countrys main natural gas supplier Romgaz. The two announcements come after the general manager of the national gas distribution company Transgaz, Ion Sterian, told the relevant parliamentary committee that the gas stock for the coming winter is at its lowest level in the last four or five years, and that Romania would have to import gas this winter to meet demands.

Business. The Netherlands largest employer in the shipbuilding business, Damen Shipyards Group, is to buy the majority package of shares in the Mangalia shipyard, which is owned by the South-Korean group Daewoo, representatives of the Dutch company announced on Friday. Damen is thus expected to consolidate its international activities in the field of shipbuilding and ship repair. They also own the shipyard in Galati. Damen representatives also said they were having talks with the government in Bucharest about the future cooperation in Mangalia and the development of the Romanian naval industry.

Handball. The Romanian womens handball champions CSM Bucharest on Saturday face the Slovenian team RK Krim Mercator Ljubljana away from home, in their fifth Champions League Group A match. With three wins and a defeat, CSM rank first in their group, which also includes the Danish side Nykobing Falster Handboldklub and the Polish side Vistal Gdynia. CSM Bucharest won the Champions League title in 2016 and are one of the favourites to win the current edition of Europes most powerful club competition.