Russia’s ambassador summoned to Romanian foreign ministry in protest at anti-NATO article on embassy website

Cateva persoane protesteaza fata de donatia facuta de Rusia pentru Cumintenia Pamantului, in fata ambasadei Rusiei de la Bucuresti, miercuri 27 septembrie 2016. Inquam Photos / Adriana Neagoe

Romania’s foreign ministry summoned Russia’s ambassador to protest an article posted on its website that belittled Ukraine, Romania and NATO on its official website.

Russian Ambassador  Valery Kuzmin who was invited to the ministry on Wednesday was told it was “unacceptable for the embassy to repeatedly use an inappropriate, offensive and provocative language against Romania and NATO,” which Romania  democratically decided to join.

The ambassador has been summoned several times to the ministry in recent months as relations, which were already cool, deteriorated after Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in late February.

In April, Romania expelled 10 Russian diplomats amid outrage over the killings and torture of civilians in Bucha and other towns near Kyiv.

On this occasion, the ministry was responding to an article which accused NATO of disinformation, called Ukrainians „Neo-Nazis” and claimed Ukrainian military were keeping civilians prisoners in a steel plant that is under attack from Russia.

The rebuke was delivered by Iulian Fota, the secretary of state for strategic affairs who expressed the ministry’s displeasure with the article and ”a consistently unconstructive approach to the bilateral relationship.”

On a separate occasion, the foreign ministry wrote to the embassy “expresing its disagreement.. in the strongest terms referring to statements posted on the embassy’s website … on the war in Ukraine .”

The ministry said it holds Russian fully  responsible for the war  and called on Moscow to show restraint in its public messaging and avoid “ provocative attitudes.”

 

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