Foreign Minister Emil Hurezeanu had a first reaction on Thursday after the United States announced on Tuesday that it would review Romania’s inclusion in the Visa Waiver Program. Hurezeanu said he would discuss his resignation with coalition leaders on Friday. Asked if he had been told why he was being removed from office, Hurezeanu replied: “I’ll find out tomorrow.”
Minister Emil Hurezeanu was asked at the MFA headquarters whether he had discussions with the leaders of the governing coalition about his removal from office, following Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu’s statements.
Hurezeanu indicated that he would discuss it on Friday. “Tomorrow, and from tomorrow onwards we will talk more,” he said. Asked if he was told why he would be removed from office, the Foreign Minister replied: “I will find out tomorrow. We will talk tomorrow.”
Romania’s interim president Ilie Bolojan was asked by Romanian journalists present in Paris today about Marcel Ciolacu’s criticism of Hurezeanu and whether he believes the Foreign Minister should take a step back, after Romania was no longer included in the Visa Waiver program and he kind of rallied to Hurezeanu’s defense.
“If you criticize in public the people who should help you perform, you only undermine their ability to perform,” Ilie Bolojan replied on Thursday.
“I don’t have years of experience in administering national positions, but I have over 20 years of experience in local administration. I have learned that if you criticize in public the people who should help you perform, you only undermine their ability to perform,” the acting president also said.
The interim president said that when there were problems he preferred to analyze “and when I was convinced that a change was needed, I did it”. “But I didn’t discuss it publicly because it doesn’t help me at all. The rules of management and good governance are pretty much the same. We already have enough problems, if we amputate our ability to act I don’t think it will help us“, said Bolojan.
In the context in which the idea of sending a special envoy to the US to discuss current issues was put forward in the public space, Ilie Bolojan was asked if he was considering such an option. “There are two ministers who worked for Visa Waiver: the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Interior. They will work to establish aspects related to the suspension of Visa Waiver membership,” said Bolojan.
Mass media speculated yesterday that The Foreign Minister could be dismissed after the failure to lift visas for the US.
The leader of the UDMR and party deputies, including Csoma Botond, claim that such a scenario could be discussed in the coalition. Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu declared on Wednesday in Constanţa that he would discuss with interim President Ilie Bolojan about a special envoy on relations with the US.
On Tuesday, the US Government announced the review of Romania’s inclusion in the Visa Waiver, in order to ensure “compliance with the strict security requirements” imposed by the program.
Thus, while this evaluation is being carried out, the US authorities are suspending the implementation of the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) for Romanian citizens, the US Department of Homeland Security announced.