Morning headlines – January 13th 2022

Coronavirus and vaccines

• Vaccination in Romania: In the last 24 hours, more than 24.000 people got vaccinated. Totally, more than 8 million people got the vaccine, with more than 7,9 getting both doses and 2,17 of them getting the third dose.
• Coronavirus in Romania: In the last 24 hours, there were recorded 8.600 SARS CoV-2 cases, 44 deaths, and in ICU there are now 41 people hospitalized.

Global political and military events

• Ukraine’s problem moves to OSCE. After the Geneve summit that took place on Monday, between the US and Russia, and the Russia-NATO Council held on Wednesday, on Thursday the OSCE’s Permanent Council will take place in Vienna to continue the dialogue between Russia, US and the European allies on the Russian troops dislocation at the border with Ukraine. (AFP)
• The NATO-Russia Council on Eastern Europe. After the failed negotiations of the US and Russia from Geneve, on Wednesday it took place the NATO-Russia Council, in Brussels. The NATO Secretary General said the open door policy will continue and he stated that each country has the sovereign right to choose its foreign policy. The Russian deputy minister, Aleksander Grushko, has criticized the NATO extension towards Russia’s borders, warning that it creates significant security risks. (AP)
• The US is sanctioning North Korea. The United States have imposed, on Wednesday, financial sanctions against five north-Koreans who, through their positions, they have connections with Pyongyang’s mass destruction weapons program, which launched two hypersonic missiles at the beginning of the year. (AP)
• Israel has announced the dismantling of an Iranian spy network. Shin Beth, the Israeli internal security service, said on Wednesday that several Israeli women had been recruited on social media by an Iranian agent named "Rambod Namdar", who claimed to be a Jew and lived in Iran. The network targeted military documents. (AP)

Romania's defence and security

• The Foreign Minister attends the EU meeting. Bogdan Aurescu participates, on Thursday and Friday, in the informal meeting (Gymnich type) of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the EU member states, which will take place in Brest (France), organized by the French Presidency of the EU Council. (Press release)
• PSD demands the convening of CSAT. PSD wants to convene the CSAT to solve energy problems. "We are in a crisis," said Marcel Ciolacu. (Mediafax)
• Government protest. The three trade unions in education are organizing protests on Thursday in front of the Government headquarters and in front of the PSD and PNL headquarters, in order to convey the dissatisfaction of the education employees with the fact that the Executive did not increase their salaries according to law 153/2017. (Mediafax)
• Ambassador Viorel Mosanu, appointed Special Representative for the South Caucasus by the OSCE President. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomes the appointment of Ambassador Viorel Mosanu as Special Representative for the South Caucasus of the President-in-Office of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). The OSCE Chairmanship of the OSCE (OSE PiE) is held by Poland from January to December 2022. (Mediafax)