January 26, 2015 UPDATE
A roundup of domestic and international news.
România Internațional, 26.01.2015, 12:15
The Ukrainian government on Monday declared a state of emergency in the separatist regions of Donetsk and Lugansk, where the pro-Russian insurgents launched a new offensive against the government troops. Also, a state of maximum alert was declared throughout the whole of Ukraine. An extraordinary meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Commission was held in Brussels. The meeting was held at Ukraines request. “NATO continues its full support for Ukraines sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders”, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said after the meeting. On Saturday, an attack of the pro-Russian insurgents on the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, the last major city in the east controlled by Kiev, left 30 people dead and over 200 injured. The High EU Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini, has warned Russia that the escalation of violence is likely to further deteriorate bilateral ties. The US President, Brack Obama, has accused Moscow of being behind this recent violation of the truce. Over 5 thousand people lost their lives since the beginning of the conflict in April 2014.
Alexis Tsipras, head of radical leftist Syriza party that won Sunday’s legislative elections in Greece was sworn in as the country’s prime minister on Monday, after forming a surprise alliance with a small right-wing nationalist party Independent Greeks. Although the two parties are ideologically opposed, they share their opposition to a bailout agreement with the EU and the IMF. In Sunday’s elections Syriza got 36.3% of the votes, by 8.5% more than the New Democracy party of the outgoing PM Antonis Samaras, while the Independent Greeks got 4.75% of the votes. The new Prime Minister has promised to renegotiate Greece’s massive bailout agreements, solve the country’s huge economic problems and ditch the austerity policies.
Romania and Bulgaria have requested on Monday in Brussels, at a meeting with EU agriculture ministers, support measures following the Russian embargo on community farm products. Agriculture Minister Daniel Constantin, who also had a meeting with the EU Commissioner for Agriculture Phil Hogan, made the announcement. Constantin said that although Romania was not a direct exporter of farm products to Russia, the embargo was affecting Romanian producers due to pressure on prices. The meat, dairy products and vegetable sectors are the most affected. Romania has so far managed to draw 87% of the EU funds for agriculture and rural development and 100% of the funds allocated through the Agency for Payments and Interventions in Agriculture.
An IMF mission will come to Bucharest on Tuesday for talks on the 3rd assessment of the stand-by precautionary-type agreement signed with Romania. According to an IMF communiqué by February 10th the delegation will meet with representatives of the Romanian authorities, of the private sector, of trade unions, political parties and civil society. According to the economic press in Bucharest, high on the agenda of talks are the law on the insolvency of natural persons and the Swiss francs loan crisis.
In Chisinau hundreds of people have protested against the decision of the Liberal Democrats and the Democrats in Moldova to not form the government together with the Liberals and to count, in exchange, for support in Parliament on the backing of the pro-Russian Communists. In Bucharest the former foreign minister, Titus Corlatean, said the future Moldovan government should not fail to meet the priorities set for European integration. Corlatean also recalled that Romania did its duty towards its neighbor, which it permanently supported on its European path. Last year Moldova signed association and free trade agreements with the EU.
The pair made up of the Romanian Florin Mergea and British Dominic Inglot qualified Monday to the quarterfinals of the Australian Open after defeating the pair made up of the brothers Bob and Mike Bryan (the US), world number 1, 7-6, 6-3. In the quarterfinals Mergea and Inglot will meet the pair Horia Tecau from Romania, Jean Julien Roger from the Netherlands. The latter defeated Monday the pair Eric Butorac (SUA) / Sam Groth (Australia) 3-6, 7-5, 7-6. In the singles Simona Halep, world number 3, and Russian Ekaterina Makarova will play Tuesday for qualification in the tournament semifinals. If she defeats Makarova, Halep will play against the winner of the game pitting Russian Maria Sharapova and Eugenie Bouchard from Canada. The latter eliminated Sunday the Romanian Irina Begu in the eighth finals.
