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Public talks on the relocation of Romania's Embassy to Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem were one of the problems our country faced in connection with the Arab countries' votes for a non-permanent seat in the UN Security Council, Foreign Affairs Minister Teodor Melescanu said on Monday.
"There have been stances taken by important political leaders in Romania, but at no time did the Ministry of Foreign Affairs make the decision to move the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. All we did was to make assessments of what the advantages and disadvantages would be and especially what the legal issues for such a decision are. We have carried out two or three such assessments, sent them to the Government, we have always tried to keep up with other pieces of information (...) and, unfortunately, yes, it was one of the issues we faced in connection to the votes of the Arab countries," the head of the Romanian diplomacy stressed.
He pointed out that he emphasized on every occasion the need to take into account our country's official stance.
Asked if he told Liviu Dragnea [leader of the Social Democratic Party, major at rule, ed.n.], the then Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, that talks related to the relocation of the embassy could lead to Romania not becoming a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, Melescanu replied: "From where I stand, I can tell you personally, yes, I did."
