Minister of Justice Stelian Ion met today with US chargé d'affaires ad interim in Bucharest David Muniz, stating on this occasion that the institutions with responsibilities in the fight against corruption will be strengthened, because "economic development gains momentum when corruption decreases."
According to a release of the Justice Ministry, David Muniz was accompanied by the resident legal advisor for Romania and Bulgaria, Jessica Kim.
"The meeting was occasioned by Mrs. Kim's visit to Romania for talks with the Romanian officials about the prospects of bilateral cooperation in priority areas for the prevention and combat of serious crime. The discussions revealed the interest of both parties in deepening cooperation in areas such as: the fight of trafficking in human beings, promoting integrity in the business environment, protecting intellectual property rights, consolidating the recovery of crime proceeds, preventing and combating environmental crime, the strategic approach of the link between corruption and organized crime," the release said.
"The United States has been a constant and reliable partner for Romania in the fight against corruption. We will not weaken our anti-corruption efforts, on the contrary, we will strengthen the institutions with relevant responsibilities, as we are fully aware of the correlation between corruption and development of a state: when corruption decreases, economic development gains momentum," said Stelian Ion, as cited in the release.