Romania has often been weak in discussions within the European Union (EU) and has often failed to defend its objectives coherently, but saying that Romanian leaders go to European leaders to receive orders is merely a slogan that distracts from the real debate, President Nicusor Dan said.

He stressed that within the EU countries promote their national interests.

'It is true that Romania has often been weak within the EU, in the discussions that took place there Romania often failed to defend its objectives coherently, because this is politics, not a literary circle, within the EU European countries promote their national interests. We are now at a moment when Romania is credible, knows how to act within the European Union, knows how to build alliances to support its policies and therefore knows how to defend its interests just as other countries in the Union do, so to say that Romanian leaders go to European leaders to receive orders from them is nothing more than a slogan that distracts us from the real debate about where Romania should be within the EU,' Nicusor Dan said on Saturday in a press statement delivered at the Cotroceni Presidential Palace.

The head of state also referred to the relation with the United States of America.

'Europe and Romania need the European Union to have a fair, solid and balanced partnership with the U.S., and Romania supports such a partnership,' the president stressed. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Catalin Alexandru; EN - writing by: Adina Panaitescu)