Former Romanian President Emil Constantinescu recounted how in 1999 he had a private conversation with Ion Iliescu during which they agreed on a decisive vote in the Romanian parliament that virtually paved the way for Romania to join the North Atlantic Alliance.

In 1999, in the context of the war launched by NATO against Yugoslavia, Romania granted overflight rights to NATO military aircraft, a gesture seen as a key moment that strengthened our country’s Western ambitions and paved the way for Romania’s accession to NATO.

Romania’s then-president, Emil Constantinescu, said on Saturday that if he were faced with the situation again, he would give Yugoslavia the right to fly NATO planes, regardless of any opposition. He revealed that this right of flight virtually ended the civil war in the former Yugoslavia, and told how he convinced Ion Iliescu to abstain from voting in parliament with other PSD parliamentarians instead of voting against it.

Emil Constantinescu was asked on Prima TV’s political show Insider on Saturday if he would do the same if he were to grant NATO over-flying rights over Yugoslavia again, News.ro reported.

“Definitely, the same. I would like to accept it, and not only I would like to do it, I decided then and there to leave this decision even against everyone (…) After I recognized him as president and commander of the army, I had to appeal to the parliament . It was a dramatic moment, because the parliamentary session, where the vote on the NATO flight was supposed to take place, took place when I was traveling as a guest, as a representative of Romania, to the 50th anniversary of the formation of NATO, to the summit. in Washington. And I still didn’t move. Romania was given the chairmanship of NATO’s Partnership for Peace meeting, which took place immediately after the summit. It was an extremely important moment, this presidency was already given to Poland at the summit in Madrid,” Constantinescu said.

The former head of state recalls that he was on his way to Washington when he learned about the results of the vote in the parliament.

Constantinescu: “I invited President Iliescu to the library for a private conversation”

“I was over the Atlantic Ocean when the result was announced to me – an overwhelming majority of votes for the flyover. What happened before? Since the PSD announced that it was against it and ran a brutal campaign (…), I invited President Iliescu to the library for a private conversation. This was in 1999, several socio-political events took place, the role of which was precisely to prevent this position of Romania towards the USA and respect for the partnership for peace. All of them aimed at my elimination or, if you can say so, liquidation. I am talking about the Mineriad of 1999, January, February. Their success would probably mean chaos in Romania and its disintegration. If there was another uprising, the rest of democracy would collapse,” Constantinescu said.

He also revealed what he told Ion Iliescu during a private meeting in the library to persuade him to abstain from voting in parliament.

“I told him that I will not run for a new mandate. It was… the decision was mine, but such decisions are not announced because you no longer have political support. I decided from the beginning that I would do everything I could in the mandate because I was elected. To have a single deadline for making all the reforms, so that they do not go backwards. I told President Iliescu that I am no longer a candidate, you will be the President of Romania, but what will you do, how do you think things can go back, with Romania next to Russia, Yugoslavia, do you think Yugoslavia still has a future , do you think there could be a future with a vengeful Russia? I think I’m not asking you to vote yes now because it’s hard to do after the campaign you’ve been running against NATO and blaming me. And I propose the following: talk to Stere Gulea, the director of television, conduct a live broadcast, appoint former defense minister Puja Paška to attack me as brutally as possible, after which you abstain from voting.” – recalled Emil Constantinescu.

Konstantinescu: “It was a moment of trust in the Strategic Partnership. The USA realized that they have an ally in Romania”

The former head of state also says that in those days the word was respected and he knew that he could rely on the promise that Ion Iliescu made at that time.

“The president looked at me and then said yes.” You can agree or disagree with President Iliescu. You can agree with the position, but when it was said so, it was so. I sat, thought, said yes. I knew it was. The next day I got on a plane and President Iliescu went to the Parliament. There was a debate with appropriate attacks, after which it was put to the vote and the PSD abstained, disciplined, everyone abstained. Then abstentions were not counted, so it was the vast majority. Only the PRM voted against, it was a small number. There was a war in Yugoslavia. At that time Milosevic was still there, the bombing was still going on. For NATO, this was a problem that needed to be solved. Of course what was given to me on the plane was given to the US and the moment I arrived I was accepted, you know, because it meant that in military circles…it was known that the war was going to end. Because the General Staff of the Yugoslav Army told Milosevic that the moment Romania allowed the flight… (…) And at that moment the war was over. It was a moment of trust in the Strategic Partnership. The USA realized that they have an ally in Romania and what he says and does,” Emil Constantinescu also stated.