Romanian President Nicușor Dan on Thursday acknowledged that Romanian institutions have failed to stand up to Russia’s hybrid war against the EU and NATO member which has been going on for at least a decade.
In a rare public statement on the hybrid war which led Romania last year to cancel presidential elections due to alleged Russian meddling, the Romanian president admitted the state had failed its citizens, but stopped short of calling it a ‘failed state.’
Asked if Romania was a failed state, as Nicușor Dan replied: “There are institutions in Romania that do not work. There are areas of the state that function, areas that do not function. And people see them. It’s a state where there is corruption, bureaucracy, there is not enough care, there is no respect for citizens. This is a failure, this is my assessment,” he told B1TV.
Asked if Romania has been the target of Russian hybrid attacks, the Romanian president responded: “Yes, this is my assessment.”
“At some point, we will make a general picture, not too far from now… where we will provide elements, (tell people) what has been happening. …There has been a gradual increase in cyber attacks on crimes, and on the on the other hand from propaganda tools that went slowly, slowly and influenced areas of society,” the president added.
Asked about the way the Romanian state responds to Russian hybrid attacks, Nicușor Dan said that Romanian officials were just starting to tackle the area of disinformation.
“What is certain is that the Russian Federation and only in Romania, (but) everywhere in Europe, is trying to influence the elections, so that it has friendly governments and if it cannot (do this), it is trying to stoke the fire to add to tensions in society in order to destabilize and decrease confidence in democracy,” Nicușor Dan said.
The president added that Romanian institutions are still functional and the country is safe.
“Romania is a very safe country. On the street, in the evening, in the vast majority of places in Romania, Romania is much safer than other even European countries. This is also due to the services and structures of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Good things happen, don’t they?”
