Moldovan official says Basescu to attend SEECP summit in Chisinau
Romanian president Traian Basescu has confirmed participation in the Southeast European Cooperation Process (SEECP) in Chisinau on June 4 and 5, according to an official in the Republic of Moldova’s Foreign Ministry quoted by Info-Prim Neo online, according to Mediafax. The head of the ministry’s regional cooperation department, Dumitru Tara, said the summit might discuss the recent tense relationships between Romania and R. of Moldova. He also did not rule out the possibility of high-level bilateral meetings between summits participants. President Basescu’s office did not yet confirm the head of state’s participation in the SEECP summit.
Tarsyuk: ‘Romania has attempted to politicise bilateral issues’
President Basescu’s visit to Ukraine has been postponed because an attempt was made at politicising bilateral issues to serve the local political agenda, something the Ukrainian found unacceptable – claims former Ukrainian Foreign Minister and head of the Ukrainian parliamentary group in charge with relations with Romania Borys Tarasyuk. In an interview for HotNews.ro, Tarasyuk disagreed with the statement by the Ukrainian Defence Minister that Romania was a threat to Ukraine’s borders. Nonetheless, even if he does not agree with the Ukrainian Defence Minister’s statement suggesting that Romania was a threat to Ukraine because its politicians were questioning the current borders, Tarasyuk says there are enough reasons of suspicion in Ukraine. ‘The minister probably voiced such suspicions, especially after the Romanian president’s statement on the mistake of signing the border treaty with Ukraine. A thing like that does not lead to confidence. And he is not just any politician. I can remember even more difficult times, when, in 1991, the Romanian Parliament made two decisions easily interpretable as territorial claims on Northern Bukovina and South Besserabia. These are therefore not unreasonable suspicions’ said the former foreign minister of Ukraine. As a EU member state, it is inconsistent with European standards, values and approaches to question the borders with your neighbours – says Tarasyuk.
Mediaeval keep discovered in Timisoara
The archaeologists from the History Museum in Banat have discovered a mediaeval keep (the main and the most fortified tower of a castle – editor’s note) dating back to the 14th – 15th Century, the time of Carol Robert d’Anjou, Agerpres informs. Professor Dan Leopold Ciobotariu, the director of the History Museum in Timisoara, has stated yesterday that the discovery was made by chance and came as the unintended result of archaeological digs that sought to find a mediaeval fountain. ‘The keep was discovered in the backyard of the old mediaeval castle that was built by Carol Robert and that later became the residence of Iancu de Hunedoara. According to the initial estimates the keep dates back to the period in which the mediaeval castle was built. The keep has an inner room with a width of over 10 meters, like all keeps of this type had. The keep was subsequently buried in the mediaeval castle that grew around it’ the museum director explained. Several pottery shards, old objects and coins were found along with the keep. Currently the masonry elements discovered are being dated.
Geoana denies coalition talks about special pensions
Social-Democrat Party leader and Senate Speaker Mircea Geoana said yesterday that the ruling coalition is not conducting any organized talks about special pensions and that the prime minister’s adviser, Mihai Seitan, voiced his personal opinion on the topic. Seitan said on Tuesday that special pensions might be recalculated and lowered, based on the new pension law. Geoana said that this topic must be discussed by the government first of all and more specifically, by the Labour Ministry.
Romanian immigrant, deadly stabbed at Naples
A Roma ethnicity Romanian was deadly stabbed and a 14-year-old Italian child was shot during two incidents that occurred in the South of the Italian city Naples, on Tuesday evening, the website of the ANSA Agency announces, as quoted by Mediafax. The two incidents occurred simultaneously, at a distance of a couple dozens of metres, in the Pignasecca neighbourhood of Naples (the Campania region, in South). Persons yet unidentified, riding a motorcycle, fired several gunshots causing a shoulder injury to a fourteen-year-old, seemingly Italian child. According to investigators, the bullets might have accidentally hit the minor. After no more than a few minutes, a 25-year-old Romanian was stabbed in the heart at the Cumana subway station located a few dozens of metres to the scene of the first incident. The emergency medical crew who arrived to the scene could only certify the Romanian’s death. The investigators were yet unable to establish a connection between the two incidents, because the operating manner seems different.
