Romanian President Addressed The European Parliamentarians In Strasbourg

President Traian Basescu delivered a speech on Wednesday, at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. His main topics were protection of ethnic minorities in Romania, the Black Sea European region, and Romania’s accession to the EU.

Basescu praised Romania’s laws on the protection of minorities stating they could stand as an example for Europe. "

The Romanian model for minorities’ protection is well praised in Europe. Unfortunately, the European standards we apply to protecting minorities in Romania are not enforced in the neighboring countries like Serbia, Ukraine or Hungary, to protect the large Romanian minorities there," said Basescu. "It is hard for me to accept that anyone might think Romania has problems in protecting minorities," added he.

Basescu also championed the case of the Republic of Moldova, showing that one of Romania’s priorities was to help Moldova strengthen its links to Europe. "We took it upon ourselves to support Moldova’s efforts to reach European standards of democracy and to contribute to the regional security," said Basescu. He also pointed out the problems Moldova now faces, explaining they stemmed from the yet unsolved conflict with the breakaway territory of Transnistria, on the Moldova-Ukrainian border.

Basescu portrayed Transnistria as "an enclave where crime and the will of an oligarchy rule" presenting as a case in point its disregard for the ruling the European Court of Human Rights in the case of Ilie Ilascu and his comrades, a group of Moldavians imprisoned by the self-appointed authorities in Transnistria for fighting against them.

Basescu pointed out Ilascu’s comrades still imprisoned in Transnistria should go home free, stating that was "the only solution for the Romanian citizens Andrei Ivantoc and Tudor Petrov-Popa."

In spite of the case he made for Republic of Moldova’s issues, Basescu gave a short answer to a Moldovan journalist who asked him why granting Romanian citizenship to Moldova’s citizens was such a time consuming process. Basescu said only "Both you and we have rules to go by."

The parliamentarians seemed to enjoy most the answers Basescu gave when asked about the American military bases to be located on our territory and to answer in French to a question asked in that language.

Basescu answered the Russian parliamentarian asking him about US military bases that Romania complies with all its international commitments, but could not resist to ask him back a rhetorical question: "You sRussianst stayed for 30 years in Romania and no one asked you why."

Also, when asked to deliver an answer in French, Basescu explained he did not speak the language; as a former sea-captain, "English was the language for me", said Basescu.