LAST TIME Nicușor Dan publishes the recording between the control tower and the Spartan pilot, before the Swiss F-18 planes escorted the president's plane / The head of state denounces an “attack” on Romania's credibility – AUDIO

“Later you will be intercepted by the Swiss Air Force to thank you for your efforts in (the situation in) Crans-Montana”, the station tells the pilot of the Spartan military aircraft, in which the President of Romania Nicușor Dan was, according to the recording published during the night of Thursday to Friday by the President Nicușor Dan in the online environment.

• The publication of the recording by the president came after the journalist Patrick Andre de Hillerin wrote on Thursday that the Ministry of Defense of Switzerland informed him that the two F-18 planes that accompanied the Spartan military plane of Nicușor Dan on its return from France were doing the usual surveillance tour, known as “live missions”, and it was not a special gesture of gratitude for Romania, as the head of state had stated.

After the publication of the information by Patrick Andre de Hillerin, official sources told HotNews that the pilot of the military aircraft carrying President Nicușor Dan was informed that the Swiss F-18 fighter jets had escorted the Spartan as a sign of appreciation.

President Nicușor Dan published on Friday night, around 1:00, “the recording of the conversation between the Romanian pilot of the Spartan aircraft and the traffic controller in Zurich, in which the decision to escort the Romanian aircraft is communicated”.

“To Romanian Air Force Flight 107 (…) 107, for your information, you will be intercepted later by the Swiss Air Force to thank you for your efforts in (the situation in) Crans-Montana”, reads the communication transmitted from the ground control tower to the crew of the C-27J Spartan plane of the Romanian Air Force on board which was President Nicușor Dan.

Nicușor Dan says that “the level of misinformation reached by a part of the Romanian media is inadmissible”.

“I have always respected and will continue to respect honest journalism, even when it criticized me. But accusing the President of Romania of lying about a symbolic gesture of respect for another state is an attack on the image and credibility of our country,” Nicușor Dan also wrote on Facebook.

What the Swiss Ministry of Defense sent

Journalist Patrik Andre de Hillerin claimed on Thursday that the Ministry of Defense of Switzerland told him that the action of intercepting the Spartan aircraft, with which President Nicușor Dan travels, was a routine one.

“The Swiss Air Force uses “live missions” to perform random checks to ensure that the information provided in the diplomatic clearance application corresponds to the aircraft being flown (aircraft type, registration, route, etc.). After a short check, the jet patrol departs again. The Air Force conducts an average of about 200 “live missions” per year, including the flight you mentioned,” the Ministry of Defense said in a statement. The Switzerland of journalist Patrik Andre de Hillerin.

HotNews requested, as early as Thursday evening, additional clarifications from the Swiss Ministry of Defense regarding this situation. As soon as we receive a response, we will publish it.

Nicusor Dan traveled to Paris and back with the Spartan aircraft

President Nicușor Dan traveled to Paris for Tuesday's meeting of the “Coalition of the Will” supporting Ukraine in a Spartan military aircraft, which resulted in his being stranded at the airport for more than 24 hours due to bad weather conditions. In addition to these problems, Nicușor Dan drew attention after he said that when he is in the Spartan, “he is disconnected from the reality in Romania”, due to the technological deficiencies in the aircraft.

He emphasized, however, that Romania cannot afford a presidential plane. “Now is not the time,” reasoned the head of state.

Until now, President Nicușor Dan has traveled with the Spartan in all foreign trips, whether he went to Chisinau or Helsinki.

On Wednesday evening, the president returned to Romania from Paris with a delay of 24 hours and claimed that the Spartan aircraft with which he was heading to Bucharest was escorted by two F-18 planes while he was in the airspace of Switzerland, the head of state stating that it was “a gesture of appreciation” of the Swiss authorities for the help provided after the tragedy in Crans Montana.

“We arrived in Bucharest. During the flight, above the airspace of Switzerland, our aircraft was escorted by two F-18 planes, a gesture of appreciation for the support given in the international transport of the victims of the fire in Crans-Montana”, wrote the president Nicușor Dan, in a post on Facebook.

The support mentioned by Nicușor Dan referred to the Romanian military aircraft that transported, from Lausanne to Paris, six young people who suffered serious burns following the fire in Crans-Montana.