When Basescu cheats at the beginning

In foreign policy, we were used to both kinds of official visits. Traian Băsescu proposes something new: the visit without a certain purpose. I’ll try a definition for an eventual diplomatic dictionary of the future. The visit for nothing has no diplomatic justification. It has, instead, a program improvised to despise the laws that govern foreign policy, a program that doesn’t bring anything good to anyone, except the visitor, who receives an additional opportunity to appear on television.

In foreign policy, we were used to both kinds of official visits. Traian Băsescu proposes something new: the visit without a certain purpose. I’ll try a definition for an eventual diplomatic dictionary of the future. The visit for nothing has no diplomatic justification. It has, instead, a program improvised to despise the laws that govern foreign policy, a program that doesn’t bring anything good to anyone, except the visitor, who receives an additional opportunity to appear on television.

The Italian trip made by Traian Băsescu this weekend perfectly exemplifies the definition above. The Romanian Government had invested a significant amount of money for the organization of the Romanian Bishopric of Rome and there is a risk for someone from the Government to attend the inauguration. So the President rushed to get in front of the Executive and feel the hands of the crowd around him while the priests were saying prayers.

In order to give a diplomatic meaning to this meeting, the President made up a kind of official program. The center of the visit was occupied by a visit to the Pope on a Friday afternoon, not in Rome, but somewhere near Vatican. There was nothing to discuss and especially to initiate at this point, at this level, with the Vatican. That has not prevented the President from improvising. He even launched an invitation for an official visit to the Pope, without consulting the leadership of the Romanian Orthodox Church, an unprecedented gesture, punished by the religious leaders in a direct press release, which was meant to remind Basescu the rules of the game in this delicate area of diplomacy. The opinion of the Holy Father on the visit is hard to say, but the fact that it lasted only ten minutes says enough. The Pope does not limit his meetings with the presidents in such a way.

In an attempt to give a useful meaning to the entire trip, Basescu made certain statements when he returned, on the airport: "Vatican has not recognized Kosovo either, but they are for the territorial integrity of Georgia." It was a case of direct discussion on this, being known the influence of the Pope in the Orthodox and Muslim media that define the respective regions ...

Normally, Traian Băsescu should have looked for a meeting with Silvio Berlusconi, the man who is so important for the Romanians in Italy, or to make a press conference with the Italian journalists. All he did was an exchange of honors in front of the Knights of Malta and promised eight consuls for the Romanian community in Italy. According to the Regulations of the Romanian Diplomatic Corps, the consuls are appointed by the Government without any interference from the Presidency. Like in many other occasions, Basescu promises generous things that do not depend on him.

With this weekend’s novel, the President wanted to be the first to make a move in a significant election autumn. Formally, he is not involved in the campaign. But PD-L depends to such an extent on Traian Băsescu’s picture, that the President is obliged to always look for occasions of exposure. Even if the improvisations of this kind bring us in rather unpleasing situations, even if he is only representing us...