US Ambassador: Russia Could Profit from Failure of Romania’s Fight Against Corruption

The US dignitary pointed out that the NATO Washington Treaty stipulates that all NATO member states must observe the principles of democracy, individual freedom and rule of law.

“The rule of law includes an independent justice system, prosecutors who are free from inadequate political influences and effort to fight against corruption and offences in the public system. The risks we identify come if Romania does not adopt these principles in their entirety and, failing to adequately fight corruption, offer actors who want to damage Romania, such as Russia, an occasion to profit from this and generate divides in the Romanian society,” he said.

The ambassador did not comment on the possibility that the United States would condition security guarantees on respecting the rule of law, only specifying that both states, as NATO members, must respect the principle.