The leader of Romania’s Social Democratic Party on Thursday said he wanted to expel a lawmaker from the group after he and three other lawmakers held ‘peace talks’ with the Russian ambassador.
Party chairman Marcel Ciolacu said he wanted Dumitru Ciorna to be kicked out at the next party meeting for acting against party interests.
“The Social Democratic Party is a pro-European party which played a decisive role in Romania joining the European Union and NATO. It firmly condemns the armed aggression against Ukraine by the Russian Federation,” he was quoted as saying by News.ro.
Dumitru Coarnă was one of four lawmakers who secretly met Russian ambassador Valery Kuzmin on Wednesday to talk about Romania switching to a position of neutrality.
Romania has been a member of NATO since 2004. The coalition government has condemned the invasion and there are currently thousands of NATO troops deployed to Romania.
Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca accused Russia of „crimes against humanity and war crimes” on March 18.
„I want …. Mr. Coarnă to be thrown out in the next party meeting. His actions are totally contrary to the Social Democrats’ vision of democracy, freedom and fundamental rights,” Mr Ciolacu wrote on Facebook.
The other three lawmakers at the meeting were Diana Şoşoacă, a nationalist known for her anti-system views, and Mihai Lasca of the nationalist AUR party, and Francisc Tobă, an independent who as a military officer repressed the 1989 anti-communist revolt according to eyewitnesses.
Mr Ciorna said he was ‘surprised’ by the statement and said he would act as an independent lawmaker if he was expelled.
He justified the meeting saying “our message was to avoid a war.” He then claimed he was committed to Euro-Atlantic values.
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