ForMin Aurescu: Recently recalled ambassadors have completed or overstayed their terms of office

All the ambassadors who have recently been recalled from their missions have completed their four-year terms of office, some even overstayed their terms by one or two years, Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu told Parliament on Thursday.

"The recall of the ambassadors was made according to the usual rotation process, of those heads of missions who have already completed their four-year terms. All the heads of missions who were recalled, both last year - remember that there has also been a wave of recalls and appointments - and all those who have been recalled very recently have already completed their customary four-year terms, and some of them have even overstayed them by one and even two years," said Aurescu.

Asked if he was satisfied with the work of the recalled ambassadors, including George Maior from the US and Emil Hurezeanu from Germany, the minister said: "Many of the ambassadors who were recalled have done their duty very well."

"Each ambassador is assessed according to individual performance, but in terms of the rotation of ambassadors (...) the term is somehow unfortunate because it is about recall, but all ambassadors return when they finish their customary mandate of four years or if they overstay it," Aurescu added.

Regarding the activity of George Maior, the minister mentioned: "The Romanian Embassy in Washington has an excellent team of diplomats."

"In the past years there was obvious progress in terms of the strategic partnership between Romania and the United States, there was progress with all dimensions of the strategic partnership. This progress has been due to a combined effort, if you will, of both the ministry's main offices, the diplomatic mission in Washington and also the special efforts that the President of Romania has made in the relationship with the United States," added Aurescu.

He said that he did not want to comment on a piece of public information that George Maior would be appointed ambassador to Jordan.

On February 22, President Klaus Iohannis signed decrees recalling 23 Romanian ambassadors, including George Maior, Romania's ambassador to the United States of America, and Emil Hurezeanu, Romania's ambassador to Germany.