Nicușor Dan said that it will be ensured that for the future director of SRI the combat of Russia's influence will be a priority
Nicușor Dan PHOTO: Purzycki / Nurphoto / Shutterstock Editorial / Profimedia
President Nicușor Dan was asked on Tuesday, in Timișoara, in the conference “Europe at the crossroads – security, prosperity and our common future”, if the next civil director of the Romanian Intelligence Service (SRI) will make a priority to combat Russia's influence in Romania, and the head of state has replied that this will happen.
“It was a great priority before the November elections, it is even more priority after the November elections, but, as I said, it was a technological shock for which they were not prepared. So it is a very serious matter,” said Nicușor Dan.
He said that since Russian President Vladimir Putin has a 10% -15% confidence in surveys “it means that this is a serious national security issue.”
“For services, we must defend national security and promise that, when they have a civil director, I make sure I do this,” added Nicușor Dan.
The president indicated “Russian influence” as one of the “two big reasons” for the ascension of the extremist wave in our country.
“For two big reasons, one bigger than the other. The greatest is the distrust of people in the way politics and administration were made in Romania, and here we all have a lot of work, and the second through this Russian influence, which started, in my opinion, immediately after 2014,” Nicușor Dan continued.
“It is also a matter of technology”
The head of state said that the Russian influence manages to highlight “some real frustrations of the people”, which are taken to a populist, isolationist and extremist direction.
“It is also a matter of technology, because the means they use are extremely sophisticated, and here is a discussion for all Western, European countries, how to do, technologically, the misinformation part and the circulation of false information to counteract it faster, more efficiently,” said Nicușor Dan,
Nicușor Dan said that he claims that “any entity exposed online on the territory of the Romanian state has an identity of natural or legal person”, adding that the debate on the regulation of social networks will continue in the next period.
