June 4, 2023
A roundup of local and international news
Newsroom, 04.06.2023, 13:55
Visit — King Charles III of Great Britain continues his private visit to Romania. On Saturday, the British sovereign walked the streets of Valea Zălanului village in Covasna county (center), where he owns three houses. Dressed casually, the king was welcomed by the locals with flowers. He talked with the villagers and tourists who came especially to see him, and he also visited some picturesque places in the area. I love to come to Romania, said the monarch. Charles III was received, on Friday, at the Cotroceni Palace, by President Klaus Iohannis. It is the first visit that a British monarch pays to Romania, and also the first foreign trip of the sovereign since his coronation, which took place last month. As a Crown Prince, Charles visited Romania several times, the first time in 1998 and he declared himself an admirer of the country. He got involved in preserving the Romanian cultural heritage, buying and restoring old houses in the countryside, which he saved from destruction. In 2017, the Presidency granted him the National Order “Star of Romania” in the rank of Grand Cross.
Prize — Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis receives Sunday in Frankfurt am Main, the Franz Werfel prize for human rights, granted by the Center against Expulsions. Romania’s Presidential Administration specifies that the decision to grant this award represents the recognition of his activity in the field of promoting human rights and good coexistence between ethnic groups, throughout his political career. On Saturday, Romania’s president received the German Civic Award, offered by the Bad Harzburg Civic Foundation, in Dusseldorf (Germany). In the thank-you speech delivered in German, the Romanian head of state recalled the efforts made by Romania to contribute to securing the EU borders. Klaus Iohannis reiterated Romanias support for the European values, which gives legitimacy to the citizens desire to benefit from integration into the Schengen Area. He reminded that Romania fully meets the criteria for integration into the Schengen Area, managing the external borders with responsibility and efficiency. The foundation decided to award the prize based on the evaluation of the entire political career of the Romanian head of state, emphasizing the support for the harmonious coexistence of different ethnicities, the commitment to freedom, democracy and pluralism, the restoration and modernization of his hometown Sibiu (the center of Romania), the support for the anti-corruption fight and attachment to the idea of a united Europe.
Pentecost — The majority Romanian Orthodox Christians and the Greek Catholics celebrate, Sunday, the Pentecost or the Descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles, an event that marks the foundation of the Christian Church. According to the New Testament, the 12 Apostles, gathered in a house, received the Holy Spirit, who gave them the power to preach in languages they had never spoken before. Following the sermon of the Apostle Peter, 3,000 people were baptized and formed the first Christian community. In churches, believers receive blessed walnut leaves, symbols of the flames that appeared above the heads of the Apostles, at the time of the Descent of the Holy Spirit. On the other hand, during the Pentecost mini-holiday, tens of thousands of tourists are in the resorts on the Prahova Valley (south) or on the Black Sea Coast (southeast). Many Romanians chose to spend their free time outside the country, especially in Bulgaria and Greece.
Tennis — The Romanian tennis player Gabriela Ruse and Marta Kostiuk from Ukraine are playing, today, in the round of 16 of the womens doubles in the Grand Slam tournament at Roland Garros, against Jessica Pegula and CoCo Gauff, both from the USA. Ruse and Kostiuk qualified, on Saturday, after, in the second round of the Parisian competition on clay court, they defeated the pair made up of the Belgian Kirsten Flipkens and the American Shelby Rogers, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3. Ruse and Kostyuk are seeded 13th at Roland Garros, one of the most important international tennis tournaments.
Turkey – The Romanian Foreign Minister, Bogdan Aurescu, congratulated Recep Tayyip Erdogan, on behalf of Romania, for his reconfirmation as President of Turkey and wished him success in fulfilling his new mandate, during the investiture ceremony that took place on Saturday. The event was attended by heads of state and government, ministers of foreign affairs, as well as representatives of the diplomatic corps accredited to Ankara, among whom the NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg. He is in Turkey also for discussions aimed at solving the objections of the Ankara administration regarding the ratification of Swedens request for NATO membership. According to the Romanian Foreign Ministry, the Romanian officials participation in the ceremony reflects Romanias desire to strengthen the bilateral Strategic Partnership, based on consistent political dialogue and close cooperation in a wide range of sectoral fields. For Romania, Turkey is the second commercial partner outside the EU and the first destination of Romanian exports outside the Union, last year the volume of exchanges registering almost 9.6 billion dollars. Recep Tayyip Erdogan took oath as president for the third time. On May 28, in the second round of voting, he defeated the candidate of the united opposition, Kemal Kilicdaroglu. The Turkish leader dominated the countrys politics for 20 years, first as prime minister, then as president, but critics accuse him of authoritarianism and mismanagement of the economy. (LS)
