Florin Citu says Iohannis not blaming him for conviction in US: We talked about it and that's it

Prime Minister Florin Citu said on Thursday that he had discussed with President Klaus Iohannis his conviction in the United States, adding that the chief of state did not reproach him of not telling him about that predicament, agerpres reports.

On a TVR 1 show on Thursday, Citu was asked if the president had reproached him of not coming forward about his conviction in the United States 21 years ago.

"No. We talked about it and that's it. There was no reproach," Citu replied.

Citu was also asked if he felt encouraged by the president in the campaign for the PNL national leadership.

"President Klaus Iohannis has been more of an inspiration to me. No. Encouraged, of course, because I have a good relationship with the president, and it has been seen as an inspiration for the way he has chosen to do politics in Romania. After years of having a certain kind of old politician and president, he came and changed the image of the presidency, but also the way politics is done in Romania, that's why I said that he is an inspiration to me," the prime minister said.

On the other hand, he criticised the fact that members of the National Liberal Party (PNL) seem to have taken over the rhetoric of the opposition Social Democratic Party (PSD).

"There will always be criticism, and PSD is full of criticism. What is sad is witnessing how the rhetoric of PSD is taken over by some of my PNL colleagues; sad!" said Citu.