President asks for deep changes at Interior, Foreign ministries, slams PSD for political appointments

President Klaus Iohannis has attended the handover ceremonies at the Interior, Foreign, Defence and Justice ministries on Tuesday.

At the Interior Ministry, the head of state has sent a tough warning, saying that the Police, Gendarmerie and, lately, the Emergency Situations Department had been under a constant attack during the PSD ruling which “has planted their friends and relatives in major positions”.

Iohannis told policemen that they had tolerated or had been forced to tolerate this procedure that had affected the citizen’s safety.

“Social Democrat amateurs or people who only cared about their interest and of the party’s gang wanted to seize all big systems in Romania and you have been a favourite target for PSD. All three failed PSD governments have constantly tried to nail down their friends and relatives in the most important state positions. This has led unfortunately to what all of you saw and felt the most. The Romanian Police, Gendarmerie and , lately, the Department for Emergency Situations have been under constant attacks. And this happened because you tolerated or some of you were forced to tolerate the screwing off some people in public positions although they did not belong there (…) The most vicious methods have been used to pit you one against another to estabish a political control where professionalism should take its toll”, the Romanian President said.

He further pointed out that the new minister Marcel Vela has a difficult mission, asking him for “a paradigm shift”, while calling on the new chiefs to start the reform of the system and asking for professionalism.

“Redeem yourselves in the Romanians’ eyes and provide citizens with safety! This must be the first concern now. Remove all incompetent people, all connections from the management positions, give the real specialists a chance again and you’ll regain your dignity and the Romanians’ respect!”, Iohannis said.

“PSD affected Romania’s foreign policy”

President Iohannishas also criticised PSD during the handover ceremony at the Foreign Ministry, accusing the former ruling party that it had affected Romania’s image and credibility abroad. He slammed the PSD “dilettante leaders” who thought they can distinguish themselves by using the country’s foreign policy.

“You know which are the failed dossiers during the PSD ruling, for instance the UN file, where Romania had a very good start position,  but it failed to reach our goal in the end (…) It is time to mend what PSD has ruined, to restore our partners’ confidence in Romania and in its foreign policy. My firm belief is that Romania must have a solid and reliable foreign policy regardless of the party in power,” Iohannis stressed, adding he is content that Bogdan Aurescu had accepted to become Foreign Minister.

“For me, it is a guarantee that things will be seriously and professionally approached”.

Message to the new DefMin Ciuca: You have a very tough mission

Klaus Iohannis has also told the new Defence minister Nicolae Ciucă, that he has a very tough mission at the helm of the ministry.

“You and the ministry have a very difficult mission. The national security must by guaranteed at all cost. I repeat, at all cost, you know it well,” the President said while praising Ciuca for being a professional who knows the problems of the ministry and in the security field very well.