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Foreign Affairs Minister Bogdan Aurescu said on Friday that the step of four Romanian MPs seeking audience at the Russian Embassy has no official value, but possibly expresses their personal position.
"I think that such an action, which has no official value, as it is without any, say, mandate from a state authority, does not deserve much comment, so it only expresses the personal position of those people," Aurescu told RFI in connection with the audience at the Russian Embassy of four MPs who pleaded for "Romania's neutrality."
According to Aurescu, in contemporary international law, neutrality no longer entails perfect impartiality towards the parties to a dispute, but it entails an attitude of support for the victim.
"If we are talking about the substance of the issue, that is what a neutral position in a contemporary armed conflict means, it is clear that we are dealing with an aggressor, the Russian Federation, who is illegally using armed force against Ukraine, the victim state, and any state that is a third party to the conflict, meaning not directly involved in the conflict, is under an obligation to help the victim and not to maintain a situation of perfect neutrality. In contemporary international law, neutrality no longer entails perfect impartiality towards the parties to a dispute, but an attitude of support for the victim. It is clear from the parties to the dispute, but it requires an attitude of support for the victim. So that is clear from the point of view of contemporary international affairs," Aurescu explained.
Asked if the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs will take any formal action after the visit of the four MPs to the Russian Embassy, Aurescu said: "Their action has no value, therefore I do not see what action we should take apart from condemning such an attitude that is not in accordance with the official position of the Romanian state."
Senator Diana Sosoaca Iovanovici announced on her Facebook page that on Wednesday she had, together with three other MPs - Dumitru Coarna, Mihai Lasca and Francisc Toba - a meeting with the Russian ambassador in Bucharest, Valery Kuzmin, during which they pleaded for the "neutral stand" of Romania in the sense of "Romania's non-involvement in the war between the two belligerent states: the Russian Federation and Ukraine." According to Sosoaca, the four also proposed "the start of peace negotiations in the neutral framework of Romania."
National leader of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) Marcel Ciolacu said on Thursday that, in the first meeting of the leadership of the Social Democrats, he will recommend the exclusion of Dumitru Coarna from the party. "Mr Coarna's actions are totally contrary to PSD's vision of democracy, freedom and fundamental rights," Ciolacu wrote in a social media post, Agerpres informs.
