The Supreme Council of National Defence, the supreme institution of security of Romania, headed by the President of Romania and that represents the mechanism for the realization of the executive duties of the President in matters of national security, foreign policy and Defence, has discussed at the Tuesday meeting, on September 27th, the situation in the Republic Moldova, a point that was not originally announced on the official agenda of the CSAT, but it was pointed out by the Romanian President Klaus Johannis, after the reunion, in view of the direct presidential elections and the possibility of strategic reorientation of Moldova.

Here are the terms:

"Also, in international relations, we had an item on the agenda which concerns the relationship between Romania and Moldova, an issue that is very important to us, a subject that interests me very much. I noticed, in the briefing made by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, a thing that is apparent to the naked eye. Our relationship should become better, more efficient, more pragmatic and more predictable.

Consequently, to improve the approach of the relationship between Romania and Moldova, it has been decided to work on a strategy, a strategy, this time, on the medium and long term, that will determine how we position ourselves in this relationship. Meanwhile, political development in Moldova has shown us all that pro-European parties have difficulties, I am talking about pro-European parties in Moldova, surely, all these difficulties were seen very well after the elections they had in 2014.

There is, therefore, a requirement for an improved relationship. The fact that Romania supports Moldova with significant funding is just a start. We believe that we need a deeper engagement, in the economic relations between Romania and Moldova, and there is further need of our commitment for building and strengthening the democratic institutions. These things, all of which would be set out in the strategy that we would prepare for the end of this year."

In addition, in the question and answer session, the subject returned:

"Our request in the CSAT was like as soon as possible to establish this working group, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with the Foreign Intelligence Service, with the Romanian Intelligence Service, with the Presidential Administration, and this strategy should address all the issues that are relevant in the relationship between Romania and Moldova. However from the start, in the discussion that I had at CSAT, I remarked that we must make a very clear distinction between the very serious approaches that we may have in the relationship between Romania and Moldova and populist-electoral approaches that may occur in the coming weeks and following months, because we will have our electoral campaign for parliamentary elections and, almost simultaneously, we will have a campaign for presidential elections in Moldova.

Journalist: The discussion about a possible union is included in the populist zone?

The President of Romania, Mr. Klaus Johannis: "The discussion about a possible union we will treat in the strategy which we will discuss in CSAT at the end of the year."

Not incidentally, the CSAT meeting came shortly after the Washington's fifth meeting between the Romanian-American ministeries at the Strategic Partnership for XXI Century, which issued a new policy statement published on the website of the State Department and decides unequivocally the Romanian-American cooperation on all areas of strategic interest of Romania. Moldova and the Western Balkans are being noted explicitly in the declaration. Beyond its strong commitment to joint action, the declaration finally closed the launched doubts of the Ambassador Pettit to Chisinau, on the occasion of Moldova’s Independence Day and rejects any formula of divergence between Bucharest and Washington on strategies concerning Moldova.

Not lastly, should be noted the welcoming, unanticipated initially, of the Minister of Defense of the Republic of Moldova, Anatol Salaru, by Romania's President after numerous receptions at his counterpart and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, another visit and symbolic reception, that is enclosing the highly debated theme in Chisinau under the rule of direct presidential elections, but also by a group of Romanian agitators involved in the campaign in Chisinau, on Romania's position near the Government and especially near the Minister of Defence, Anatol Salaru.

A consistent signal meant to gainsay the aberrations regarding the support of Vladimir Plahotniuc by Romania - a campaign that aims to affect Bucharest in public consciousness from Moldova, but also to fade a East-West battle of the geopolitical influences through a pseudo-battle pro/anti-oligarch, where Romania should be placed in the wrong side of the barricade. Romania supports Moldova's European path, reforms and institution building, not Plahotniuc or any other political leader or presidential candidate who never got to see inside the Cotroceni Palace. In addition, the President Klaus Johannis only shook hands with the government officials, not incidentally the Minister's of Defense, Salaru, last week, and not Leanca, Nastase, Maia Sandu or, God-forbid, Dodon has not been welcomed by the President. Here the waters have separated and are specific enough to make blush of all kinds of consultants  that are claiming to support that, because they know what the Romanian state wants or what are its options.

Now, returning to the big messages about CSAT meeting, they are following:

- The relationship with Moldova is of prime importance for Romania, and it must become better, more efficient, more pragmatic and more predictable.

- Romania develops a medium and long-term strategy discussed until the end of the year, which will provide, in addition to the important funding, deep economic relations and involvement in the construction and strengthening of democratic institutions in Moldova.

- This strategy must address all the relevant issues in the relationship between Romania and Moldova, making a distinction between serious approaches and populist-electoral approaches. The discussion about a possible union will be treated strategically, in the CSAT, at the end of the year, in the purpose of today's items that are affecting Romania by such public actions and populist-election statements.

At the public level, the interpretations have exceeded the statements of the President, therefore, it must be emphasized very clearly that Romania supports the institutional building, economic cooperation and financing Moldova, supports the actions of the Government from Chisinau - as long as it makes reforms - and supports the choice of a future pro-European president, and not any presidential candidate, a strongman of the regime, even if he is an oligarch. Not the union in populist terms, which will manifest in the following period: in Chisinau, in the presidential campaign at Bucharest - during the general elections. This is Romania's position, reflected in the statements of Romanian President, Klaus Johannis, and everything that exceeds these statements are often speculations and malicious interpretations.

Regarding the debate about the union in the public space, they are the preserve of NGO's or political parties in the campaign, but they affect the interests of Romania. And the official approach is about institution building strategy towards Moldova, of mechanisms and democratic institutions not destroy them in a perspective of a unionist solution, on foot, possibly with revisionism and change of borders on Dniester River. This is the official approach of Romania's president Klaus Johannis direct statements.