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President Klaus Iohannis on Wednesday stated that the external partners signaling problems related to how the rule of law state is observed in Romania should be taken very seriously, while pointing out that the conclusion drawn by some Romanian politicians that the foreign partners are getting involved in Romania's internal affairs is fundamentally wrong.
"These signals coming from our foreign partners should be taken very, very seriously. We are all together in the European Union and together we want to build a stronger Union, which is why, if problems appear somewhere, they are noticed, and it is a good thing that everybody reacts to improve the whole approach. I know that in Romanian politics there are some who accuse our partners of getting involved in our domestic affairs. This approach is fundamentally wrong, precisely because we are all together in the EU and when certain things aren't going so well there must be a reaction. These signals should be taken very, very seriously, the same as the opinion of certain external actors should be taken very seriously, such as, for instance, the Venice Commission, which in the next days will come to Romania not to criticize us. This is a very wrong populist discourse. They are coming to help us build better laws, more modern. I strongly reject such populist approaches saying that some foreigners are coming to teach us how to rule our country. We are together in a Union of values. We want to consult with our partners who have good intentions, who are coming to help. We must understand these things very, very well, for they are important for all of us. We cannot be a part of a community of values while remaining isolated at the same time," said the head of the state, at the joint conference with the PM of the Netherlands, Mark Rutte, who is currently paying an official visit to Romania.
The head of the state underscored, on the same occasion, the importance of the summit in Sibiu, where "our future guidelines will be set."
"This future of the Union includes Romania and this is why our interest is to show that us, the Romanians, understood that this is about values, values that we also respect," said Iohannis.
Asked about the ruling coalition claiming that the August 10 protest were financed from abroad, he answered: "I don't know anything about such a thing."
"It is true that we also watched what happened in Romania recently. That there are certain things that worry us with respect to the rule of law. The European Commission also voiced concern recently with respect to the reform efforts that seem to slow down. What we do is to look first at the European Commission to see what they will do next. For us all, for the entire Union, the rule of law is a key aspect, it's essential for the European partnership, and the juridical stability is also very important for the companies and private individuals. Let's see what the Commission has to say and then we will see, everyone of us, independently, if there were progresses made and to what extent," said Rutte, in his turn.
