TALKS US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday said he would continue his dialogue with Moscow but called on Russia to pull out the troops it deployed to the border with Ukraine. After the talks with his Russian counterpart Serghei Lavrov, which he described as a candid exchange of concerns and ideas Blinken said that next week Washington would present Moscow with ideas under the form of written responses. In turn, Lavrov has confirmed the USA has pledged written responses to Moscow's requests concerning the European security architecture. Romania's president Klaus Iohannis on Thursday hailed the announcement made by his US counterpart Joe Biden over an increased US military presence in Romania, if security would get deteriorated. Iohannis has also added that the strategic Romanian-French partnership will be strengthened in the Black Sea area after the announcement made by his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron that France is ready to send troops to Romania as part of the NATO missions. Russia has amassed 100 thousand troops at its border with Ukraine but denies any plans for an invasion.
STRIKE Trade unionists from Bucharest's Public Transportation Company (STB) have decided to carry on their all out strike in spite of a ruling from the Bucharest Court, which deems the protest as illegal and calls for the immediate cessation of the strike. The strike has kept the Romanian capital city paralyzed for the second day in a row and the protesters have ignored the court's decisions on Friday and Thursday, under which they should have resumed activity. The STB workers have called for pay rises and the resignation of the company's director and said they would not resume work unless their claims were met. City mayor Nicusor Dan believes the protest is political and has called for the observance of the law while Justice Minister Catalin Predoiu has cautioned over the seriousness of not complying with a court rule.
COVID-19 19,649 new infections have been reported in the last 24 hours in Romania, an all-time high since the start of the pandemic. Yesterday, the country had over 19 thousand infections and 49 related fatalities were also reported on Friday. Health Minister Alexandru Rafila says the COVID-related mortality rate is at present ten times lower compared to October last year. The Romanian official added that an innovative antiviral treatment will also be made available shortly. 8 million Romanians have so far received at least one dose of the anti-COVID-19 vaccine. The rate of vaccination stands at 47.5% of the total eligible population, the head of the National Committee for the Coordination of anti-COVID-19 Vaccination Activities, medical doctor Valeriu Gheorghiţă has announced. According to Dr. Gheorghiţă, the highest vaccination rate (56%) is reported in the 50-59 age bracket. The Health Ministry announced that the bed occupation rate in hospitals stands at 22% at national level, meaning classes in schools will continue with full physical attendance next week as well.
MINISTRY Romania's Foreign Ministry has rejected the statements of the Foreign Ministry of Russian Federation concerning the allied military presence on NATO's eastern flank, which it considers 'inopportune and ungrounded'. The Ministry recalls in a communiqué that the NATO presence in the allied countries, which is the result of the decisions made at the highest level by allied leaders and implemented by responsible allied political and military structures is a response to the Russian Federation's increasingly aggressive behaviour in the eastern neighbourhood starting 2014, when it occupied Crimea. This behavior continues to intensify in spite of NATO's attempts to engage in a constructive dialogue, the Ministry in Bucharest says. Russia on Friday asked for the withdrawal of NATO troops from Romania and Bulgaria as part of any treaty.