President Klaus Iohannis has criticized prime minister Viorica Dăncilă’s statements regarding the move of Romania’s embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

On March 24, during a speech held in Washington, at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), the PM said that Romania would move its embassy to Jerusalem.

“The Romanian government initiated a process to evaluate the opportunity of moving Romania’s embassy to Jerusalem. This is why I am delighted to announced today, in front the AIPAC audience, that, after the completion of the analysis by all constitutional actors involved in the decision process in my country and in full consensus, I, as a prime minister of Romania, and the government that I lead, will move Romania’s embassy to Jerusalem, the capital of Israel,” she said, quoted by Hotnews.ro. She said the government “started a process to evaluate the opportunity” of moving the embassy after the United Stated did the same.

President Iohannis said the statement shows the PM’s “utter ignorance in matters of foreign policy.” “Out of the wish to claim a decision that belongs not only to the Romanian government, as she wishes to leave the impression, prime minister Viorica Dăncilă rushes to make public announcements in the absence of a decision in this respect,” Iohannis said.

Iohannis said that the final decision belongs to the president, whom the Constitution empowers to make decisions on the country’s foreign policy. He also said that the Presidential Administration did not receive the analysis on the theme of the embassy move, which the Government referred to repeatedly.

Later, the PM backtracked on the statements and said that the declaration made in Washington was a personal opinion and that, according to the Constitution, the decision belongs to president Iohannis.

“I spoke about moving the embassy to Jerusalem, but I said we need to fulfill all the constitutional steps. I did not say that I will move the embassy. The statement of the president, and the way he phrased it, speaking of ignorance, speaking of the PM not knowing the steps, it only disappointed me […] It is a personal opinion that the embassy should be moved,” Dăncilă said in a TV show at Antena 3, quoted by G4media.ro.

This is not the first time the president and the government find themselves at odds over the issue of the embassy move. Last year, Liviu Dragnea, the leader of the ruling Social Democratic Party (PSD), announced that the government adopted a memorandum to start the procedure of moving the embassy to Jerusalem. After the announcement, the Presidential Administration said the president wasn’t informed or consulted about this move. It also said that this decision is not based on “solid and comprehensive assessments.” Dragnea and the PM also made a visit to Israel, which president Klaus Iohannis criticized. The following day, Iohannis asked Dăncilă to resign.

Jordan's King Abdullah II cancelled his visit to Romania after the PM’s statement, France24.com reported. The king previously said that the question of Jerusalem is essential to achieving peace between Israel and the Palestinians. According to him, the way to do that is through the creation of a Palestinian state in the city alongside Israel, France24.com reported.

In the Washington speech, the PM also announced that Dragnea is to introduce for debate in the Parliament several laws concerning the Jewish community, such as one granting Romanian citizenship for the Jews who left the country during communism, and pensions for the survivors of the Holocaust, Agerpres reported.

(Photo: Gov.ro)

editor@romania-insider.com