PSD's Dragnea on meeting with President Iohannis: I believe it was a beneficial meeting; Tariceanu knew about it

Chairman of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) Liviu Dragnea stated that his meeting on Thursday with the head of state, that was agreed immediately after the inauguration of the new Cabinet, which was also attended by Prime Minister Viorica Dancila, was "a beneficial" one.

"I had a talk with the President after the new Government took the oath of office. I think we talked for ten minutes. I asked the President then to have a stand in Brussels, because he was to go there, in respect to what is happening in the country and he had [a stand] in the news conference that he hold afterwards. I've seen that he had a fair stand. I believe the President also doesn't like that Romanian citizens, regardless of their positions, denigrate Romania abroad. Moreover, we also agreed then that after the Government settles in we'll carry out a meeting in three - he, I and Mrs Prime Minister Dancila," Dragnea told Antena 3 private broadcaster on Friday evening.

According to him, the topics tackled aimed at the calendar for taking over the Presidency of the Council of the EU in the first semester of 2019 by Romania, the Greater Union Centennial project and the Three Seas Initiative meeting.

He also stated that the discussion included also the topic debated over the last period regarding the activity of the National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA).

"The President asked Mrs Prime Minister, and I believe it was natural to do it, about how she sees the situation in the last few days, about the most recently discussed topic. Mrs Prime Minister, as she said it last evening in the interview, stated that she is concerned with all these disclosures and that she asked the Minister of Justice to make a decision in a reasonable, rather short time, no matter what the decision is, because we all want for the truth to come out, because we are talking about the credibility of the justice system in Romania. I think it was a beneficial meeting," Dragnea said.

When asked about Iohannis' statements regarding the attempt of "some criminals" to discredit the DNA, Dragnea stated: "I have never agreed to this approach from the president or from other public or non-public persons, but I decided in this period not to intervene in this topic. After it will be over, in one way or another, I don't have any idea how [it will end], because here are three (...) actors - the Justice Minister, the CSM [Superior Council of Magistrates] and the President (initiative, approval and decision], but after it will be over I will express my point of view. I do not want to influence either side's decision. But I have a very well defined standpoint that I will express after this story ends in one way or another. After Tudorel Toader presents his standpoint, I will express my view point, which is very well outlined."

The PSD Chairman mentioned that leader of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats (ALDE) Calin Popescu Tariceanu knew about the meeting with the head of state.

"I want to mention that my alliance colleague, Mr Chairman Tariceanu, knew about this meeting. We have discussed it before. It wasn't a secret meeting or one that I would hide from Chairman Tariceanu," Dragnea stated.