Radio România Internațional

Tag: foreign policy

  • The president of the Republic of Moldova at the end of his term in office

    The president of the Republic of Moldova at the end of his term in office

    A jurist by training, a judge during the Soviet regime and president of the Supreme Council of Magistracy after the Republic of Moldova proclaimed its independence from Russia in 1991, 67-year old Nicolae Timofti was sworn in as president on March 23rd 2012. Pundits say that the record of his presidency is rather a mixed one. They argue that given the domestic and international circumstances, the president abided by his mandate and prerogatives and avoided causing political crises, managing to foster Chisinaus interests abroad.



    The avowed pro-Western governments that ruled the republic during Timoftis term in office advocated the countrys European integration and succeeded in having the association and free trade agreements concluded with Brussels in 2014. However, the essential European reforms stagnated and the administration has been weakened by corruption. One billion dollars, tantamount to 15% of the countrys GDP, mysteriously disappeared from the countrys banking system, the scandal undermining government coalition parties, triggering the large-scale protests of civil society and fuelling voting intentions in favour of the pro-Russian parties. Elected by MPs, Timofti was a compromise solution and his power constantly depended on the parties political games as political analyst Iulian Chifu, an expert in the ex-Soviet area and former presidential advisor in Bucharest believes.



    “From my point of view, he was a centrist president, a president who abided by his mandate and had an important role in deciding on the structure of the last Government, at a time when the country was on the verge of early elections, which might have sparked off instability in the Republic of Moldova. So, he assumed a direct role. I also believe that his position as president was underused by the political parties.



    Political analyst in Chisinau, Anatol Taranu, highlights Timoftis foreign policy projects, particularly in defending the Republic of Moldovas interests in relationship with Russia and his excellent ties with his counterparts from neighbouring Romania, Traian Basescu and Klaus Iohannis. Anatol Taranu:



    “Timofti did not hesitate to defend the Republic of Moldova and did not refrain from doing that in front of president Putin. Moreover, through the foreign policy measures, president Timofti permanently underscored the Republic of Moldovas commitment to the European values as well as to Romanian values.



    Under the Moldovan Constitution, Timofti will continue to exert his prerogatives until the future president is sworn in. According to Parliaments decision, validated by the Constitutional Court, the new president will be elected by the citizens of the Republic of Moldova through direct vote and the ballot is going to be held this year.

  • Romania’s foreign policy priorities

    Romania’s foreign policy priorities

    President Klaus Iohannis has outlined Romania’s main foreign policy guidelines as part of his annual meeting with foreign ambassadors to Bucharest. Klaus Iohannis said the Strategic Partnership with the United States and Romania’s NATO and EU membership have been and will continue to be the pillars of Romania’s foreign policy. At the same time, the president argues, Romania wants to be not only a beneficiary, but also a provider of security and stability in the region, to strengthen its status and role at NATO and EU levels.



    Here is president Klaus Iohannis: “The disturbing context, marked by growing concerns in the eastern vicinity, calls for urgent measures to consolidate security. This entails both an internal effort and taking part in NATO and US operations”.



    As regards the EU, the president said: “I expect to see more coherence, vision, strategy and rigor from the EU. The European project is more than just a slogan, and the European Union is not merely a set of bureaucratic mechanisms”.



    The main challenge facing the EU at present is migration. President Klaus Iohannis reiterated Bucharest’s standpoint in this matter, arguing that Romania isn’t opposed to receiving immigrants, but merely questions the distribution procedure. The president once again expressed solidarity with the other European states, adding that Romania would continue to actively contribute to solving the refugee crisis.



    As regards Schengen, the president said that although the Schengen area faces a great many difficulties and challenges at present, Romania still wants to join the free-travel area. Another important point on Romania’s foreign policy agenda is the consolidation of strategic partnerships or of privileged relations with Germany, France, Poland, Italy, Spain, Great Britain and Turkey.



    Bucharest will continue to focus on its relations with its neighbours, the president said, reaffirming Romania’s support for the European integration efforts of Moldova, Ukraine and Georgia under the Eastern Partnership. Romania will also remain a vocal supporter of EU Enlargement to the Western Balkans and an active contributor to regional stability, president Klaus Iohannis went on to say.

  • Foreign Policy Priorities

    Foreign Policy Priorities

    Unlike its agitated domestic politics, Romania’s foreign policy relies on a number of invariable directions. Set during the Christian-Democratic President Emil Constantinescu’s term in office, between 1996 and 2000, Romania’s firm option for the West has been kept in place by all his successors. The country became a NATO member in 2004, under the leftist, Social Democratic president Ion Iliescu, and a EU member in 2007, under the right-of-centre president Traian Basescu. After taking office one month ago, the Liberal Klaus Iohannis made his first official visit as President of Romania to Brussels, where he had meetings both with the presidents of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker and European Council, Donald Tusk, and with the NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. Iohannis confirmed that the country’s foreign policy priorities during his term in office would remain unchanged:



    “Romania has been an EU Member State for 8 years now. Our institutions have been substantially strengthened, and our contribution to the European project must be equally important. A priority of my term in office will be to further the European integration process. We will discuss the steps that Romania must take in view of deepening its involvement and in order to act with more determination as a NATO member.”



    A career diplomat appointed as Foreign Minister in November, within a mostly Social Democratic cabinet cohabitating with a Liberal President, Bogdan Aurescu in turn confirmed the principle of continuity:



    “Romania’s foreign policy has a number of constant elements, whose objectives have been defined by national consensus, and I don’t think we can talk about changing its guidelines. These are the EU membership, the NATO membership—and last year we marked 10 years since our country joined the Alliance—the Strategic Partnership with the USA, the Strategic Partnership for EU integration with the Republic of Moldova. All these are the constant elements of Romania’s foreign policy, and I am glad to see a consensus among all political parties as regards these elements.”



    In an interview to Radio Romania shortly after the attacks in Paris, Foreign Minister Aurescu stressed Romania’s position within the international coalition fighting terrorism, a coalition that Bucharest joined immediately after the terror attacks of September 11, 2001 in the US:



    “The extraordinary solidarity shown by the European countries and other states, and by the Romanian society at large, has proven how important it is for us to do away with the scourge of international terror. We have firmly and promptly condemned this tragic event because in Romania’s view, nothing can justify a terrorist act, particularly when its target is the freedom of speech. In my opinion, one of the consequences of this situation is the need to strengthen international cooperation in fighting terrorism.”



    Romania, however, refuses the idea that increased security could include reintroducing restrictions on freedom of movement for citizens on EU territory. Here is what Bogdan Aurescu had to say:



    “Once again, freedom of movement is an earned right, it is a fundamental freedom, and we have to be mindful of this earned right. At the same time, Romania is ready to take part in this effort, even though it is not yet a Schengen country, because, in fact, Romania acts like a Schengen state.”



    As an eastern outpost of EU and NATO, profoundly concerned with the fate of the Republic of Moldova, Bucharest has been growing more and more alarmed with Russian aggression in Ukraine. Here is the Romanian Foreign Minister talking about this:



    “Last year was marked by an important international event, at least as far as Romania is concerned, namely the crisis in Ukraine, including the illegal annexation of Crimea, in violation of the fundamental international law principles and standards, followed by a destabilization of the country’s east, which is still developing as we speak. Obviously, we reiterated the support we have shown for our neighbouring state’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, Romania’s most important neighbour, both in terms of size and from a frontier point of view, and, very importantly, from the point of view of the Romanian community in Ukraine, which is around half a million.”



    In addition to supporting the pro-Western regime in Kiev, slapping economic sanctions on Moscow is one option the West could use to leverage the crisis, Bogdan Aurescu has said:



    “As for the sanctions, Romania has been behind it from the very beginning, because we believe these sanctions are starting to work. There are two sets of sanctions, those for the occupation of Crimea and those related to the security situation in eastern Ukraine.”


  • Romania’s foreign policy goals

    Meeting in Bucharest for three days, the heads of Romania’s diplomatic and consular missions abroad analysed the role and activity of the Romanian diplomats within the current international context. Prime minister Victor Ponta, who attended the meeting, called on the diplomats to present very clearly Romania’s positions on the most important issues of the day, and at the same time promote Romania’s legitimate interests, as well as those of the European Union and its strategic partners. The prime minister said that at the NATO summit in Wales, Romania wishes to see a strengthening of the Alliance’s eastern flank, the consolidation of the strategic partnership with Turkey and Poland, and a better NATO presence in Romania:



    “I believe Romania has once again proven that it is a solid partner for the European Union, NATO, and our strategic partner, the US. In a crisis situation, Romania has the opportunity to consolidate this status, affirming it more confidently and with more courage.”



    From Bucharest’s point of view, NATO should consolidate its eastern flank, including on Romanian territory, as also pointed out by the foreign minister Titus Corlatean:



    “Romania’s positioning in terms of its eastern neighbourhood allows it to become an important player in the efforts to stabilise this region, thus turning a potential vulnerability into a strategic advantage.”



    In fact, turning Romania’s possible vulnerabilities into advantages is one of Bucharest’s foreign policy goals, Mr Corlatean explained:



    “These goals have to do with taking better advantage of the strategic partnership with the United States, as reflected in political and security aspects, as well as in the economic area. Other objectives have to do with our NATO membership, and right now there is a very serious discussion about the repositioning of the Alliance in order to improve confidence and safety and the security of its eastern allies, by redeploying military security assets on Romania’s territory as well. We are also talking about Romania’s European and domestic interests, but also outside of the EU, for example Ukraine, Iraq, Syria and Libya, because these are closely tied to Europe, as well as the eastern flank which is one of our priorities. As for the Republic of Moldova, this autumn is essential for its European future and destiny. Elections are scheduled in this country, which needs to have a pro-European government and thus obtain confirmation of a clear European prospect leading up to Moldova’s integration into the European Union.”



    Predictably, the deteriorating situation in eastern Ukraine dominated the meeting in Bucharest, with Romania reiterating its support for Kiev. Here is Emil Hurezeanu, a journalist and political commentator on international issues:


    “The conflict in Ukraine has entered an even more dangerous phase, and of course NATO and each of its member countries on the one hand, and the US on the other will judge if they should provide more armament in direct aid. The Germans, for instance, don’t agree with NATO delivering weapons, but because Germany is, among other things, the third largest arms exporter, to the sum of five billion euros annually, of course it will be considering supplying arms bilaterally to Ukraine. It remains to be decided whether to continue or end the phase of economic sanctions against Russia and whether they should be accompanied by a supply or weapons.”



    Emil Hurezeanu also said that any military offensive in the last few decades, as well as WWII and the Cold War were based on the strategy of mutual deterrance. Today, however, we are faced with a situation that involves much irrationality. Under the circumstances, does the West have a plan for counteroffensive? Will rational means be able to counterbalance irrationality? Hurezeanu says he believes this to be the next major issue in political and strategic debates.