Romanian ministers to meet ambassadors only with foreign affairs minister’s OK

Romania’s foreign affairs minister Teodor Melescanu apparently asked the other ministers of the Sorin Grindeanu Government to avoid having meetings with ambassadors in Bucharest without informing the Ministry in advance and have its opinion, several political sources told Hotnews.ro. The recommendation issued by Melescanu apparently extended to other employees in ministries regarding meetings with representatives of Western embassies in Bucharest, added the sources. PSD leader Liviu Dragnea, who is also the president of the Chamber of Deputies, and Senate president Calin Popescu Tariceanu said several times at the beginning of this year that the meetings between Romanian officials and ambassadors should take place only with the approval of the Foreign Affairs Ministry. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday replied that Government Members “coordinate with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) both on the opportunity of contacts with diplomats and foreign officials," as well as on the messages sent by the Romanian part. “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has had and continues to have a legal obligation to notify the memoranda and mandates of the Romanian officials traveling abroad on business, and is informed on the main results of these visits,” reads the MAE press release. Foreign ambassadors were not invited by the Parliament’s leadership at the speech held by Romanian President Klaus Iohannis yesterday. editor@romania-insider.com