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Russia on Thursday expressed outrage at Romanian President Traian Basescu’s recent remarks in support of a 1941 wartime attack on Soviet troops — an assault that was coordinated with the Nazis. Basescu said in an interview last week that Romania’s war against the Soviet Union was justified because it wanted to regain a territory — Moldova — taken by the Soviets in 1940. He said: “I probably would have done the same.” The order to attack Soviet troops was given by the pro-fascist dictator Marshal Ion Antonescu and led to the slaughter of thousands. Russia’s Foreign Ministry said in a...

Romanian President Traian Basescu said that in the case of a conflict with Iran, his country will stand alongside NATO and Israel. "We hope the sanctions imposed on Tehran by the UN Security Council will lead to the proper solution – not one of digging graves for American soldiers, but one of negotiations and transparency," said Basescu.

BUCHAREST, Romania: Romania's Prime Minister Calin Popescu Tariceanu and his minority Cabinet on Monday easily survived a parliamentary no-confidence vote proposed by his former allies, with most parties seeking to avoid triggering early elections. The no-confidence motion received 115 votes, failing to get the backing of more than 253 lawmakers — half the total number of members of parliament. Another 112 lawmakers voted to support the government, with three opposition parties implicitly helping the government by boycotting the vote. "The vote shows the government does not have enough support in parliament," said Emil Boc, chairman of the Democratic Party, which...

March 31 - Theodor Stolojan, leader of the ruling Liberal Democrat Party (PLD), showed his support toward president Traian Basescu, criticizing those blaming the political turmoil in Romania on the conflict between the president and the premier. Stolojan told the PLD congress held at the Parliament Palace that the crisis was triggered by the struggle between those willing to eradicate the “perverted system” and those who want to preserve the “transition swamp.” Legitimated as the Alliance’s inheritors, the liberal-democrats will continue the “fight” to impose the values of the ruling Alliance, Stolojan further said. “We are the successors of the...

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) - Romania's president presented a report Monday denouncing the former Communist regime as ``criminal and illegitimate'' and guilty of committing crimes against humanity - the country's first such official condemnation. ``As the president, I condemn the Communist system ... and I state my admiration to the citizens who opposed the dictatorship.''

President of Romania denounces Soviet era President Traian Basescu of Romania on Monday formally condemned the Communist dictatorship that ruled his country for more than four decades, the first time a Romanian head of state had officially denounced the Soviet-era system. .... "It is as important as the condemnation of National Socialism after the end of World War II," said Plamen Tzvetkov, a professor of history at the New Bulgarian University in Sofia. ... The final report is long and occasionally lurid. One chapter recounts the chilling "Pitesti experiment," in which young political prisoners were systematically tortured and subject to...

Traian Basescu — unbuttoned, unorthodox, some say unpresidential — is shaking up the political scene inthis ex-communist country accustomed to colorless, aloof leaders. He's a salty soul with a penchant for dressing casually, meeting with Cabinet ministers at local watering holes and driving his own car — a humble Skoda sedan — around the capital. He's a ladies' man who's always up for a dance wherever there's a willing woman. But he's also a man's man who likes watching soccer on a wide-screen plasma TV, sipping single-malt whiskey and puffing on Benson & Hedges cigarettes. Basescu, who as president controls...

Romania is in the grip of a political storm over the files of the Securitate, the former communist secret police. President Traian Basescu went on national TV on Wednesday to deny claims that he had worked for the Securitate. He also defended his decision to have the files opened, saying a failure to do so could jeopardise Romania's bid to join the European Union in 2007. A special commission is reviewing the Securitate files. Some politicians have been named as former collaborators. "I did not sign an agreement with the Securitate," Mr Basescu said, insisting that he had only written...

President Traian Basescu declared yesterday in Baghdad, after the meeting with his Iraqi counterpart Jalal Talabani that the Romanian troops will retire from Iraq when the Government of this country requests it. “We shall retire in full agreement with the allies!” stressed Traian Basescu in the joint press conference, adding that he told the same thing to the Iraqi PM Nouri Al-Maliki, and also to the members of his Cabinet. “In my discussion with President Jalal Talabani, I voiced my satisfaction that the area where the Romanian soldiers take action is protected against violence, and thus the Iraqi from the...

Basescu promised troops for Lebanon Romania has the capacity to contribute with cu troops in Lebanon, in case of an international decision in this respect, President Traian Basescu said yesterday in Washington, according to Mediafax release. Asked whether Romania will contribute with troops to settle thing in Lebanon, President Basescu answered that Romania has the capacity to participate with troops and to meet its obligations and a NATO member state and as an European state, whether an official decision is taken on this matter. "The international community can count on Romania's support in restoring peace in Lebanon and in guaranteeing...

Washington, 9 March: Romanian President Traian Basescu arrived on Tuesday [8 March] afternoon (local time) in Washington in a two-day official visit at the invitation of US President George W Bush. President Basescu is to start his visit to the USA with a meeting scheduled for Wednesday morning with the American president at the White House. Later on Wednesday the head of the Romanian state is to meet with the American Senate majority leader of the Republicans, Bill Frist, who will offer a working luncheon in honour of the Romanian President that will be attended by some senior officials of...

BUCHAREST, Feb. 25 (Xinhuanet) -- French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier on Friday cautioned Romania against following the United States too closely, urging it to develop a "European reflex" sinceit wants to join the European Union (EU). "When one is in the European Union, the first reflex should be European. It is in the interest of Romania to have this reflex," Barnier told a joint news conference with his Romanian counterpartMihai Razvan Ungureanu. He reiterated his country's support for Romania's EU membership. It is good for Romania to maintain good relations with the United States, he said, noting that France is...