Romania President Klaus Iohannis has made a series of controversial nominations for key embassies abroad, including Berlin and Washington D.C.. He nominated George Maior, who recently left the helm of the Romanian Intelligence Service after eight years in office, as Ambassador to the United States. And he also nominated Emil Hurezeanu, a veteran journalist of German citizenship who has just received a Romanian one back, as Ambassador to Germany.

George MaiorFoto: Agerpres

Maior resigned as head of the SRI intelligence service earlier this year, as he had become embroiled in a scandal over his involvement in the presidential campaign last year, tipping the electoral balance in favor of PM and presidential candidate Victor Ponta. Ponta had named him as potential prime minister should he be elected president - which the prime minister failed to accomplish against rival candidate Iohannis.

Emil Hurezeanu, a journalist who left Romania for Germany in his youth and who was serving with Radio Free Europe during the 1989 Revolution, holds German citizenship and recently received Romanian citizenship back, as his nomination for the Berlin Embassy was prepared. He had previously and repeatedly refused official seats in Romania as he had not want to give up on German citizenship, which at the time prevented him to hold double citizenship.

A series of several other nominations were made by President Iohannis today:

  • Mihnea Motoc of the Romanian mission to the EU - moved to the Romanian Embassy to Britain
  • Bogdan Mazuru - moved from France to Austria.
  • Adrian Cioroianu, who served as Foreign minister about a decade ago, was nominated to replace Nicolae Manolescu as Ambassador to UNESCO.
  • Ion Jinga is recalled from London and sent as permanent representative to the UN Office in New York.
  • Former Ambassador to US Adrian Vierita is named permanent representative to the UN.