Ambassador Kuzmin, about Romania-Russia relation: Modest result in political and diplomatic sphere

The Russian diplomacy last year continued "in a consistent manner the activity of reestablishing the mutually advantageous pragmatic relations with Romania" in various domains, still with modest results in the political and diplomatic sphere," Russia's Ambassador in Bucharest Valery Kuzmin told on Friday a press conference. 

"We note with satisfaction that the bilateral trade turnover in 2017 increased by 20 per cent and according to completely realistic estimates, it will reach 4 billion dollars at the end of the twelve months," the diplomat acknowledged. 

With regard to the diplomatic relations between Romania and Russia, Kuzmin brought to mind that the aircraft of the Russian Deputy Prime Minister was denied access in Romania's airspace. In this context, Russia's Ambassador said "that certain circles in Bucharest behave as that Catholic who would have wanted to be a better Catholic than the Pope himself - trying to complicate the establishment of some dialogue channels, even despite the well known decision of the NATO Summit in Warsaw regarding the need for this dialogue." 

He pointed out that the sanctions imposed on Russia by the European Union do not apply when it comes to transit and highlighted that Rogozin's aircraft had already flown over Hungary and Poland. 

"It is enough to say that still on 23 December 2016 Romania's Foreign Affairs Ministry posted the comment saying that the EU's so-called sanctions do not apply in case of transit overflying and the interdiction to carry through such regular flight would constitute a breach of the international law and of the 1947 Chicago Convention regarding civil aviation," the Ambassador specified at the press conference. 

He expressed the hope that relations between Romania and Russia improve, given that Romania will take over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union in 2019, and in the context of the promotion of Romania's candidacy for a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for 2020-2021.

Kuzmin also raised the issue of the reburial of the Romanian soldiers who died in Russia during the Second World War. 

"The Russian side, in its turn, provides all possible support to the Romanian's side activity for the reburial of their soldiers who fell victim to the criminal military activity on the URSS territory of dictator Ion Antonescu in alliance with Hitler. The mutual constructive desire in this domain was confirmed during the intergovernmental committee sitting that took place last autumn in Bucharest," Kuzmin underscored.

AGERPRES