Speaker Dragnea: We had several discussions with Orban; Hungary unambiguously supports Romania's candidacy to OECD

Speaker of the Romanian Chamber of Deputies and national leader of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) Liviu Dragnea said on Thursday he had talked on several occasions with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Romania's candidacy to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the establishment of a Roman Catholic high school in Targu Mures.

Dragnea said that after initially opposed, Hungary is "unequivocally" supporting Romania's candidacy to OECD.

"It is my duty to say this: it is a complex action in which President Iohannis played an important role in the past, where the Foreign Ministry, diplomats and other organisations have been involved. But if a country in this group opposes us, Romania could not join in. The position of Hungary, which said that it no longer agrees with Romania's joining OECD, came in. Back then, I called the Prime Minister of Hungary, Viktor Orban; I had a discussion, I had several In fact, and he was really dissatisfied, in my opinion for good reason, in the end we talk about children who have the right to education - that for a very long time it has been blocked by various actions the establishment ... in fact, the high school in Targu Mures was disbanded and its reopening was stalled. I promised that this will happen, and immediately after the Hungarian prime minister and the foreign minister of Hungary said they would support Romania's candidacy to OECD," Dragnea told Antena 3 private broadcaster.

Afterwards, he added, after Parliament passed the law on the reopening of the high school, the CCR declared it unconstitutional, which triggered Hungary's position that it still needed time to think. "I had a discussion again with Prime Minister Orban - and I want to say that I also asked Kelemen Hunor [national leader of the Hungarian Democratic Union of Romania - UDMR] to get involved, and he got involved and support; because we have already found another administrative solution for that high school to be set up, because it is normal for it to be set up, a few days ago we formally learned that Hungary has said it unequivocally supports Romania's candidacy to OECD," said Dragnea.

According to him, Romania will have a lot to win after joining OECD.

Dragnea expressed hope that Romania will be able to build a very serious partnership with China - "the kind of relationship that brings great advantages to Romania". AGERPRES (RO - author: Catalina Matei, editor: Antonia Nita; EN - author: Corneliu-Aurelian Cocleriu, editor: Adina Panaitescu)