Former Prime Minister Adrian Nastase and Viorica Dancila did not act on behalf of the Romanian state through their presence in China, alongside Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, President Nicusor Dan stated on Wednesday in Cernavoda.

„They are two individuals, at liberty, who did not act on behalf of the Romanian state,” the head of state said.

Asked whether this gesture affects Romania’s image, Nicusor Dan said: „No, they are private individuals.”

The first official reaction on this topic came on Wednesday from Foreign Affairs Minister Oana Toiu.

„Romania is not and cannot be represented by politicians who proudly pose next to Putin today,” the head of the Romanian diplomacy conveyed.

„At home, they speak of patriotism, but a patriot would not fawn over an aggressor, certainly not just days after a Russian drone attacked a vessel only a few hundred metres from our border on the Danube, nor weeks after Russia bombed Ukrainian communities where Romanian is spoken,” Oana Toiu said.

According to her, the two former prime ministers attended the event in a private capacity and „represent only themselves, but probably the invitation was based on their roles as former prime ministers and indicates an attempt to signal influence over Romania.”

„But all Putin has shown is that their connections lie in the past, not in Romania’s future,” the Foreign Affairs Minister added.

AGERPRES