February 16, 2025 UPDATE 2
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Radio România Internațional, 16.02.2025, 20:00
Conference – The Romanian Foreign Minister, Emil Hurezeanu, met, at the Security Conference in Munich, Germany, with three American senators, both from the Republican and Democratic parties. He discussed with Jane Shaheen, James Risch and Christopher A. Coons about foreign interference in last year’s presidential election in Romania and about the preparation of measures to prevent the repetition of such a situation, the Romanian Foreign Ministry announced. According to a statement made public on Sunday, the main themes of the discussions were the security situation in the Black Sea region as well as the ways to capitalize on the Romania-US Strategic Partnership, the continuation of support for Ukraine invaded by the Russian troops and the involvement in its reconstruction process. Minister Hurezeanu emphasized, in the context, the importance of continuing the robust presence of the United States in Romania.
Cooperation – Attending the conference in Munich, the Romanian Defense Minister, Angel Tîlvăr, met, on the sidelines of the Security Conference, with his counterparts from Albania, Pirro Vengu, and Bulgaria, Atanas Zaprianov. The discussions focused on strengthening regional cooperation in the field of defense and military mobility. One of the essential topics addressed during the talks was the Pan-European Military Mobility Corridor VIII, a strategic project in which Romania participates together with Albania, Bulgaria, Italy and North Macedonia. Angel Tîlvăr reiterated Romania’s commitment to facilitating the rapid transit of forces and military equipment in South-Eastern Europe, emphasizing the importance of reducing bureaucratic barriers and harmonizing critical infrastructure, the Romanian Defense Ministry (MApN) informed. The ministers also discussed the importance of strengthening NATO’s defense and deterrence posture in the Black Sea region.
Air transport – The Romanian airport administrators will be able to ground the planes of those companies that do not comply with European legislation regarding the compensation owed to passengers, if the draft emergency ordinance put up for public debate by the Economy Ministry is adopted. According to the initiators, the new regulation completes the Air Code and ensures the respect of the passengers’ rights. The National Authority for Consumer Protection will compel air transport operators to comply with passenger compensation obligations, by granting money or vouchers, according to their agreement with them. Passengers entitled to damages must submit a written request to ask for compensation, which is set between 250 and 600 Euros per person, depending on the distance of the flight routes.
Handball – Romanian’s handball champions, CSM Bucharest, defeated, on Sunday, away from home, score 32-21, the Norwegian team Storhamar Handbal Elite, in Group A of the Women’s Champions League. CSM achieved its fourth consecutive victory in the competition and cannot miss the third place in the group of eight teams. The top two teams qualify directly for the quarter-finals, and the teams ranked on the 3rd to the 6th places compete in a play-off for access to the quarter-finals.
Commemoration – At least 1,500 people gathered, on Sunday, at the tomb in Moscow of Alexei Navalny, long considered the main opponent of the Kremlin, one year after his death, in an Arctic prison colony, the international media report. Dozens of families with children went, in the cold, to the cemetery, where the security system was rather discreet, consisting of plainclothesmen. Joining the commemoration were also Western diplomats, representatives of the American, French, Spanish, Norwegian and European Union embassies. Arrested in January 2021, upon his return to the country, after he had been treated in Germany following his poisoning, Navalnyi was sentenced to heavy penalties in several cases. The last sentence, in August 2023, was 19 years in prison, for “extremism”. Navalny had communicated mainly through messages sent to his lawyers and then posted on social media, in which he denounced the invasion of Ukraine and called on Russians to ‘resist’ the Kremlin. The circumstances of his death remain unclear. (LS)
