Chivalry

Bucharest, Dec 29 /Agerpres/ - The visit of Jean-Claude Juncker to Bucharest, alongside the College of Commissioners and a concert at the Athenaeum will mark on 10 January the taking over of the presidency of the EU Council, informs the website www.romania2019.eu, dedicated to the Romanian presidency and officially launched on Friday.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel held a phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, her office said late Dec. 28.

Saudi Arabia's King Salman has ordered a sweeping government reshuffle, replacing key security and political figures including the foreign minister, as the kingdom grapples with the international fallout over critic Jamal Khashoggi's murder.

Ukraine's president Petro Poroshenko meets with Patriarch Bartholomew at the Fener Greek Patriarchate in Istanbul on Nov. 3.

Military prosecutors with the Public Prosecutor's Office have decided the initiation of the prosecution against former president Ion Iliescu, in the Revolution case, the Prosecutors' Office attached to the High Court of Cassation and Justice informs on Friday.

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker (r) welcomes Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos on Wednesday at the European Commission in Brussels, the first time a Greek president has been invited to speak at the EC. In a joint press conference, Pavlopoulos referred to Juncker's decisive role in supporting Greece at difficult moments during the crisis.

Right now, in modern circumstances where there are heightened tensions among the global players, for Kazakhstan, the biggest challenge we see is to contribute to the reduction of these tensions among these key-players, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Roman Vassilenko told AGERPRES in an interview.

Bulgaria will demand another 80m euros to protect its border, which is external to the European Union, Prime Minister Boyko Borisov said at the EU-Africa meeting in Vienna.

Former Romanian president Ion Iliescu's interview with French newspaper Le Figaro has sparked controversy in Bucharest, after he criticized the ruling party, which he once led, and then tried to retract the statements - prompting the newspaper to release the recording to the media.

Prime Minister Boyko Borisov will take part in the "Africa - Europe" High Level Forum, which begins today in Vienna and will continue until tomorrow.