February 21, 2023

A roundup of local and international news.

Newsroom, 21.02.2023, 13:55

EU.
Romania’s foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu on Monday in Brussels attended a
meeting of EU foreign ministers, who also had talks with the foreign minister
of the Republic of Moldova Nicu Popescu. The talks were held at the proposal of
minister Aurescu, the Romanian foreign ministry said in a statement. Speaking about
Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, the Romanian minister reiterated his
country’s commitment to support Ukraine and mentioned the multidimensional
support granted in the last year, such as the transit of 12 million tonnes of
Ukrainian cereals for export, economic facilities, the opening of new border
crossing points to enhance connection, support for refugees, humanitarian aid,
bilateral assistance to support Ukraine’s European path and support to increase
resilience in other areas. Minister Aurescu also mentioned the support for the
quick adoption of the tenth package of sanctions against Russia and for
increased efforts to find a legal way of holding to account those responsible
for the atrocities committed in Ukraine.

Ukraine. Russia wanted a peaceful
solution to the conflict in Ukraine, but western countries had a different
scenario, said Russian president Vladimir Putin today in his
state-of-the-nation speech. This comes three days before the first anniversary
of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on 24th February. The Russian leader
held his annual speech one day after US president Joe Biden made a surprise
visit to Kyiv and condemned Moscow’s brutal attack on a sovereign country. Vladimir
Putin also said Russia would suspend its participation in the New START treaty with
the US on the reduction of strategic nuclear weapons. Joe Biden is to speak in
Warsaw today, and he is expected to unveil new measures to consolidate NATO’s
eastern flank. During his stay in Warsaw, he is also due to meet the leaders of
Bucharest Nine, a group of NATO countries from central and eastern Europe
formed after Russia’s annexation of Crimea at the proposal of the presidents of
Romania and Poland, Klaus Iohannis and Andrej Duda, respectively. Joe Biden
promised on Monday in Kyiv that the US would supply more weapons to Ukraine and
assured the latter of Washington’s unwavering support in the face of the
Russian invasion.

Quake. Rescuers in Turkey are
carrying out new searches for people trapped under the rubble as a new quake
hit the south-east of the country on Monday night, in the same region as the
devastating earthquakes that took place two weeks ago. According to official
reports, six persons were killed and 200 wounded in the latest tremor. Turkey’s
president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is running for a
new term in May if elections are held on schedule, says his country would start
building tens of thousands of new homes next month, a move whose estimated cost
is at least 25 billion dollars. Erdogan’s rapid reconstruction plans worry architects
and engineers, who are concerned that the lack of urban planning and careful
assessment of building safety may lead to a new disaster.

Culture.
Two books about Constantin Brâncuşi were launched in Timişoara, which this year
is holding the title of European Capital of Culture. The books, which recently
appeared in France, are written by Doina Lemny, art historian and researcher at
the National Museum of Modern Art and the Pompidou Centre in Paris. The launch
previews an extensive exhibition dedicated to the great Romanian sculptor next
autumn at Timişoara’s Museum of Art. According to the city’s mayor Dominic
Fritz, around 60,000 people attended the over 130 different events held in Timişoara
this weekend during the official opening of the European Capital of Culture
programme. The city will be playing host to around 1,000 different cultural
events all year long. (CM)