French President François Hollande on a state visit to Romania
French President François Hollande arrived in Romania on Monday for an official visit. The French president already met his Romanian counterpart Klaus Iohannis and he was also expected to meet Prime Minister Dacian Cioloş. François Hollande laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier early on Tuesday at the start of his visit, the first by a French president since François Mitterrand came to Romania in 1991. President Hollande will later inaugurate the Ghimbav Airbus Romania factory in the Romanian central county of Braşov, which will produce H215 military and civil helicopters, starting next year. It will become fully operational by 2020, manufacturing 15 helicopters a year and creating 350 jobs. The first helicopters are expected in 2018, chief executive Serge Durand told AFP. Mr. Hollande’s visit to Romania is part of a campaign aimed at reviving the European project after the Brexit while also paving th way for the EU summit opening in Bratislava, Slovakia, on Friday.
Former Romanian PM rejects allegations in so-called „Tony Blair” file
Former Romanian Prime Minister rejects allegations of Romania’s National Anti-Corruption Directorate (DNA). Mr. Ponta appeared before DNA prosecutors last Tuesday when he was expected to answer new corruption allegations. Romanian media were also mentioning former British PM Tony Blair for his alleged involvement in the affair. Mr Blair, who runs the Government Advisory Practice which works with several regimes, has travelled at least twice to Bucharest in 2013 to meet Mr. Ponta during a visit allegededly sponsored by Sebastian Ghiţă, a friend of the former PM who got a seat in the Romanian Parliament soon afterwards. In a post on his Facebook account on Monday, Victor Ponta pointed out that his only involvement in Mr. Blair’s visit was the meeting they hold at the Social Democratic Party’s headquarters in the capital Bucharest. Romania’s anti-corruption watchdog found that Victor Ponta was a suspect in a new probe of alleged influence peddling before placing him under judicial control for 60 days. However, the former PM was allowed to talk about the case following a court decision last week.
George Enescu’s violine on tour in Constantza county
The violine of Romania’s greatest musician George Enescu arrives in the Romanian Black Sea county of Constantza on Tuesday. Organised by Radio Romania’s Media Cultural Centre, the tour will include a recital by violinist Gabriel Croitoru and pianist Horia Mihail at the Culture House in the village of Cumpăna followed by a similar performance at the Youth Center in Mihail Kogălniceanu. The Enescu’s violine tour will end on October 1 after further such events across the country. Known in France as Georges Enesco, Enescu was a Romanian composer, violinist, pianist, conductor, and teacher. He is regarded by many as Romania’s most important musician.
Radio Romania’s National Radio Theatre on tour in Kishinev
Radio Romania’s National Radio Theatre in Bucharest is expected to attend the opening of the 95th season of the Mihai Eminescu National Theatre in Kishinev, capital of the former Soviet Republic of Moldova. The opening on Tuesday will include public auditions of historical radio theatre performances as part of the „Biograhies, Memories” series comemorating real life-heroes, emblematic anti-communists, leading personalities in Romania’s cultural life along with well-known radio theatre programmes as part of the „Romanian Contemporary Playwrights” project involving plays written by hugely acclaimed dramatists in Bessarabia.
Alexandru Danga – RADOR
