Bavarian Minister-President on Romania: An important aspect is fight against corruption

Romania is an interesting country at an international level, but only in the context of the fight against corruption, "against old customs, political interests", said on Saturday Bavarian Minister-President Markus Soder.

In a speech held on the occasion of the presentation of the Franz Josef Strauss 2018 Award to Romanian President Klaus Iohannis by the Hanns Seidel Foundation, the Bavarian Minister-President Markus Soder evoked the excellent relations between Bavaria and Romania, as well as the political activity of the head of state, but also as mayor of Sibiu.

Furthermore, Markus Soder emphasized the contribution to the establishment of the European Union of patriot Franz Josef Strauss, who figured out that nationalism and totalitarianism can lead only to confrontation.

"There are people who leave their mark on world politics. (...) And today we need statesmen like Franz Josef Strauss and we consider that the award that honors his personality is one of the most beautiful prizes. When you became president we thought it will be hard, it will be a hard path, we thought of the history, the evolution of Romania. But Romania has managed in the past years to make steps towards Europe. An important matter here, in this context, is the fight against corruption, against old habits, political interests - I am referring to the old connections, I'm thinking of young people putting their hopes for Romania's evolution, in this way Romania becomes an interesting country in the international level, an interesting medium, but only in the context of the anticorruption fight - then it can become an interesting and attractive country. This fight isn't over, from what I've read, and I need to express my full respect for this fight now, and the award should strengthen you in the future for the anticorruption fight," the Bavarian Minister-President emphasized.