2nd of April

NATO Secretary General’s Message, Jens Stoltenberg, marking the 15th anniversary of Romania’s adhesion to NATO

Romania is a strong and committed ally – says the secretary general of the North-Atlantic Alliance. Jens Stoltenberg handed to President Klaus Iohannis a message marking the 15th anniversary of Romania’s adhesion to NATO. He also welcomes Bucharest’s plans to spend 2% of PIB on defense this year and to modernize armed forces over the next 10 years:
Jens Stoltenberg: Romania is a strong and committed ally. Contribute to our common security and our collective defense, to the missions and operations of the Alliance. In Afghanistan, we met some of the professional Romanian militaries who help stabilize the country and prevent the creation of refugees for international terrorists. In Kosovo, you are helping to maintain stability in the Western Balkans region, in Poland you helped to deter aggression as a member of the multinational battle group. You also host a facility for the NATO ballistic missile defense system and make an essential contribution to security in the Black Sea region in the areas of land, air and maritime. This region is of strategic importance for Euro-Atlantic security and deserves our constant attention and presence.

Romanian Naval Forces organises the largest multinational naval exercise in Romania’s territorial waters and in the Black Sea

Romanian Naval Forces is organising, during 5-13 April, the largest multinational naval exercise in Romania’s territorial waters and in the international Black Sea. The exercises are attended by 14 Romanian and six Romanian ships from Bulgaria, Canada, Greece, the Netherlands and Turkey. More than 2,000 soldiers will practice combat procedures against underwater, surface and air threats, tailored to the security threats of the Black Sea region. The scenario of the exercise is fictitious and aims at executing a crisis response operation under the mandate of a United Nations Security Council resolution. The Romanian Territorial Forces participates in the exercise with a detachment from the composition of the 9th Mărăşeşti Brigade, for the protection of the terrestrial communications routes and Constanţa Port. The NATO Permanent Navy Group operating in the Black Sea also participates in the exercise.

PSD rejects the opposition’s allegations that it uses the Romanian Post as an electoral agent

General Secretary of the Social Democratic Party, Codrin Ştefănescu, today rejected the accusations of PNL President Ludovic Orban, according to which Social Democrats use the Romanian Post as an electoral agent. He added that the PSD concluded a contract with the Romanian Post Office for the broadcasting of a campaign newspaper. It concerns information about government achievements related to pensions or wages and which, says Codrin Ştefănescu, any citizen is interested in finding out. He also said that the PSD did not sign a protocol with the Free Trade Union of the Romanian Post. Ludovic Orban announced yesterday that the National Liberal Party will sue the Social Democratic Party because, he said, the PSD would have concluded a protocol with the Free Trade Union of the Romanian Post, after which the postal factors would be obliged to distribute campaign materials for social-democrats.

Adelina Boboc