On an official visit to Poland, the President of Romania, Nicușor Dan, spoke about the cooperation between the two states on a military, economic and diplomatic level. The head of state emphasized that Romania and Poland have common interests and visions within NATO and the European Union and sent a message of calm in the context of international tensions.
The president explained that the visit included discussions with Polish leaders on four major themes: security, economy, foreign relations and cooperation within the European Union. “Joint discussions with each of them on four important themes: security, economy, foreign relations and the European Union. I start by saying that Romania and Poland have similar characteristics at the moment. There are large countries on the eastern border, involved in NATO, countries that have benefited, that have developed as a result of joining the European Union“, declared Nicușor Dan.
The head of state emphasized that the two countries support the transatlantic partnership and can collaborate more closely within the European Union. “There are countries that encourage the transatlantic partnership, including within the Union, and countries that can benefit from the fact that they have a common vision in many areas, including within the Union, which means competitiveness in relation to the Union’s mercal strategies”stated the president.
Military cooperation and joint defense projects
In the field of security, the president said that Romania and Poland already collaborate militarily and discuss joint projects. “In the area of security, there is already a collaboration between our armies, we are present in Poland, Polish troops are present in Romania. We talked about joint purchases, we talked about making the SAFE program fruitful together. Poland is the first country in terms of volume, Romania is the second, we talked, as I said, about joint productions“, said Nicușor Dan.
The leaders also discussed the B9 forum, an initiative launched by Romania and Poland about ten years ago, which brings together the NATO states on the eastern flank. “We talked about the B9 forum that will take place in Bucharest. As you know, it is an initiative of Romania and Poland started about 10 years ago”, said the president.
Another important topic was regional security. “We are very interested, as you know, in the Black Sea as well, as Poland is interested in the Baltic Sea, and we talked about an exchange of experiences on how to make that security hub in the Black Sea, which is important for Romania“, he added.
Investments and increased economic interest
On the economic level, the discussions focused on investments and support for Romania’s accession to the OECD. “Poland reconfirmed its support for Romania’s accession to the OECD. We talked about how to develop investments, common investment opportunitiesi”, the president declared.
During the visit, Nicușor Dan also participated in a Romanian-Polish economic forum. “Two hours ago I also participated in a Romanian-Polish business forum, with over 100 Polish companies interested in developing relations with Romania”he said.
Talks about Moldova and Ukraine
The leaders also addressed foreign policy topics, particularly the situation in the region. “On the foreign policy side, we talked a lot about Moldova and Ukraine and the accession process of each, about Ukraine, obviously, about the support for the ongoing war“, stated the president.
Extension of the B9 format, still under discussion
Asked about the possibility of expanding the B9 format, President Nicușor Dan explained that there are discussions regarding the inclusion of some Nordic states, but the final decision has not yet been made.
“As you know in Vilnius, a year ago, the Nordic countries were invited. Finland was there, Sweden was there, Norway was there, Denmark was there. Now it is being discussed that some of these countries even become members of this format“, said the head of state.
He emphasized that negotiations are ongoing and it is too early for conclusions. “Discussions are ongoing. It would be unprofessional to speak in advance of some discussions that have no predictable outcome at the moment, but only a mutual intention on both sides“.
The situation of Romanians in the Middle East
The president was also asked about a scandal that appeared in the public space, related to the repatriation of some Romanians from the Middle East. Nicusor Dan said that he does not yet have all the information about the mentioned individual case and that he does not want to make a decision before the situation is clarified.
“I don’t want to say too much about the individual case. I have also informed myself in these minutes as much as I could with the advisers to see the opinions, but the scenario of who did what has not yet crystallized and I do not want to speak until things are well established in terms of the factual situation“, he declared.
The head of state explained, however, that the Romanian authorities manage the repatriation of citizens in the Gulf area. “Just yesterday I had a discussion with the minister, together with representatives of several institutions, about the situation of Romanians who are in different countries of the Gulf. The minister and her team came up with accurate data about how many Romanians have contacted the consular services and about the schedule of flights that they are going to make for the most vulnerable – elderly people, sick people, children”.
He admitted that difficulties may arise in such an operation, but assured that the situation is under control. “Of course, all the time when you organize a matter of this that you have not organized before, syncope happens. More people call the same one or two people who have a different work rhythm normally, but all in all, the Romanian state controls this situation at this moment.”
Clarifications on the “nuclear umbrella”
The president also provided explanations in relation to the debate on France’s “nuclear umbrella” for Europe. Nicușor Dan recalled that Romania already benefits from NATO’s nuclear protection. “Ever since Romania joined NATO, it has been protected by the NATO nuclear umbrella, provided by the United States”he said.
At the same time, the leader from Bucharest specified that this protection does not require the placement of nuclear weapons on the territory of the country. “Being protected by the NATO nuclear umbrella does not imply the presence of elements of a nuclear nature on Romania’s territory, to be very clear. In the medium future, there is no question of nuclear components being hosted on our territory.”
Regarding the talks with France, the president mentioned that the relationship of military cooperation is an old one. “I can’t tell you more than that it’s a long-standing relationship. We have French soldiers in Romania, we’re grateful for that. It’s a relationship that develops in this complicated security context.”
Message about Romania’s budget
Asked about the tensions in the governing coalition regarding the budget, the president said that Romania will have a budget in March. “After talking with the representatives of each of the parties in the coalition, I say it with all responsibility: Romania will have a budget in March of this year.”
He admitted that it would have been ideal if the budget had been passed earlier. “Obviously it would have been nice to have a budget in November or December. But because there is this concern and because it is an important issue, I consulted with the leaders of each of the parties and I can tell you what I told you.”
Regarding the social measures proposed by some parties, the president said that the discussions are legitimate, but the final decision belongs to the Government and the Parliament. “Of course it would be nice to have money for all the categories you mention, but I can only know the big numbers and I can’t tell you whether or not there is room for different types of spending.”
Call for political stability
The president also commented on the political tensions in the coalition, including talks about changing the prime minister. “Better are decisions, there are contradictions sometimes on a personal level between people who have to make decisions on behalf of the parties in the coalition. It is much better that these types of decisions are made without a large public exposure, precisely so that society and the financial markets are not worried.”.
Nicușor Dan emphasized that, in the current regional context, political stability is essential. “We are in a difficult context, with a war on the border, we are not there“, said the president, referring to the possibility of major breaks in the governing coalition.
Fuel prices and the Competition Council’s warning
Asked about the evolution of fuel prices and possible government measures, President Nicușor Dan explained that the situation is still at the beginning, and existing stocks have not been affected.
“For now, we are a week away from the start of this new situation. I can say, in a general way, roughly, in the price of gasoline that a person pays at the pump, half is the crude price of refined oil and half is the taxes and excises of the state. What I can say with certainty is that there is no question of additional intervention on this component of taxes and excises of the state. Unfortunately, we do not have the possibility to do it even in the minus.”
Regarding the role of the Competition Council, the president said that the authority monitors the situation to prevent unjustified price increases. “The Competition Council happened in its history to sanction very severely anti-competitive practices. Only this has never happened, and it is not physically possible for it to happen the second the event occurs. It is sanctioned in a month, it is sanctioned in two, but it is very good that the president came out and warned that he is looking at exactly this phenomenon, because of course it has a chain effect on the whole economy and on people’s standard of living”.
Regarding possible support schemes for the population, the head of state mentioned that discussions will take place when needed: “When we are there, of course, we can have this kind of discussion, as it has happened before“.
Analysis of appointments for prosecutor’s offices
When asked about the proposals for the head of the large prosecutor’s offices, Nicușor Dan explained that he would make a personal and detailed assessment: “Not only am I going to do this analysis, I have already done a very extensive analysis, preparing for this moment. I mean, I met dozens of prosecutors over a period of dozens of hours, during which I tried to understand what they think about each other, who are the top managers in this profession. This broad analysis differs greatly from what is being speculated on social media. I completely disagree with what is being said on the networks about the people who either participated in the contest or were selected, but I don’t want to prejudge it at this moment.”
The MAE case and the reaction to sensitive situations
Referring to the case of children stranded in the Middle East, the president reiterated the need to clarify the facts before drawing conclusions: “Let’s clarify who did, who called, didn’t call, who made the decision. It’s an emotional case, yes. When we’re talking about a child, let’s clarify the factual situation completely, so that, in the end, we can correct, if someone made a mistake, exactly the guilty person”.
