Mitchell: I advise Romanian leaders to put law above politics; anti-corruption fight a marathon, not a sprint

Anti-corruption fight is "a marathon, not a sprint," and Romania is facing "a very important time" right now, during this marathon, US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Wess Mitchell said on Monday, after holding a speech at the Faculty of Law in Bucharest.

Regarding the request that the Romanian President remove from office the head of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate (DNA), Laura Codruta Kovesi, Mitchell said: "I believe this is a matter that must be solved by the Romanian citizens and their leaders through the constitutional mechanisms at hand."

He also added that the US Department of State is monitoring the situation "closely."

"Anti-corruption fight is a marathon, not a sprint. I believe that you are facing a very important time during this marathon right now and I trust that the institutions in Romania and the Romanian leaders will do what it's right," Mitchell pointed out.

The American official also spoke about the progress made by Romania in fighting corruption, and the support granted by the USA in the anti-corruption field.

"Romania's progress, in the past years, in what the anti-corruption fight is concerned, is significant. USA supports the Romanian anti-corruption institutions and your fight against corruption in general. I believe that President Trump said it very clearly last year, in the Garden of Roses, that we will always be supporting Romania's anti-corruption fight," he said.

Wess Mitchell also underscored that this "is not the time" for the standards established following these efforts were made "to degrade."

"I won't get involved in any internal political matters and I won't make statements related to this. I will only say that the judicial and anti-corruption institutions in Romania are very important, including for the example they represent for the region, and for Romania, as a strong democracy. I believe this is not the time to see how these standards degrade, for I believe that Romania has made extraordinary progress and I would advise Romanian leaders to put the law above politics and not to bring politics in the law field," Mitchell said.

According to the US official, developments in this field are being watched "very closely." "I won't go into more detail in relation to the exchange of political remarks, but I believe it is clear as daylight that we will continue to send this message, from the President downwards, that the USA support the anti-corruption institutions in Romania, as a pillar of your democracy, and we will continue to monitor the situation closely," Wess Mitchell pointed out.