Russian ambassador to Romania praises far-right party AUR: the „exception” in parliament that opposes the US

Russia’s ambassador to Bucharest, Valeri Kuzmin, praised the extremist AUR party for being the only „exception” in parliament that opposes the US. He made the remarks in an interview with the TASS news agency, in which he also announced that Romania’s decision to demand a decrease in the number of Russian embassy staff had led to the closure of the Russian school.

„There is a fairly broad pro-Atlantic and pro-European consensus in the Romanian political elite, there are no problems here. But if the political leadership takes a clearly unfriendly stance towards Russia, then there are other opinions in society. Romanians who do business, follow politics or are interested in cultural life appreciate much more realistically the importance of good neighbourly relations with Russia. Unfortunately, this pragmatism is very poorly expressed at the political level. Only individual MPs are able to raise their voices in Parliament, and when they start talking about national interests, the nightmare begins – they are accused of being „agents of the Kremlin”. There is one exception here: in the last parliamentary elections, the Nationalist Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) managed to enter Parliament unexpectedly. While Romanian political circles were already talking openly about the need to submit to the will of the new neo-colonial hegemon – the US, this party started to speak loudly about national interests, albeit in a very peculiar ‘Romanian-Unionist’ way, as it is often called,” Valeri Kuzmin told Tass, according to Rador.

Kuzim’s statements come days after MP Dumitru Coarnă announced that he represents the parliamentary group of the hardline AUR party. Former police union boss Coarnă was expelled from the PSD in March 2022 following a visit to the Russian embassy in the midst of the invasion of Ukraine.

On 31 March 2022, a month after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a delegation made up of MPs Dumitru Coarnă and Diana Iovanovici-Soșoaca, Mihai Lasca, Francisc Tobă (all three ex-AUR) met with the Russian ambassador in Bucharest, Valeri Kuzmin, according to a statement by Șoșoaca.

The four MPs presented a proposal for a so-called „neutrality position” for Romania in the war triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Background. George Simion, leader of the far-right party AUR, has in the past two years put forward several ideas similar to those being peddled by Russian propaganda in the region in connection with the invasion of Ukraine. The main targets of the leader of the extremist party AUR were aid for the Republic of Moldova, support for Ukrainian refugees and support for Ukraine.

„Romania should no longer fund the government in Chisinau with even one leu (e.n. – Romanian currency). I am fond of some ministers from across the Prut, but I am even dearer of the truth. All we are doing is financing anti-Romanian separatism by financing that government”, said George Simion at the AUR congress in Alba Iulia in December 2022.

Simion, who calls himself a defender of Moldova’s citizens, called for an end to support for the country, which has been severely affected by the crisis triggered by Russia’s invasion. Romania provides Moldova with funds (grants and loans), electricity at preferential prices, natural gas, fuel oil and firewood, as well as medical support.

Russian propaganda has constantly tried to discourage Moldova’s economic and energy closeness to Romania.

Attack on Ukrainian refugees: „One truth we have to say is that too much funding has been allocated to refugees who came from Ukraine,” Simion told the AUR congress in Alba Iulia.

A G4Media analysis shows that Romania spent €75 million between March and October 2022 for Ukrainians who left their country because of the war and temporarily stopped or stayed here. Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă announced in August that the EU had paid a first tranche of €39m of this money, with more EU funds to come in the next period.

Even without the EU settlements, the amounts spent by the government are relatively small in relation to Romania’s GDP, given the huge suffering of millions of Ukrainians, mostly women and children, forced to flee Russian troops.

The government’s effort is also matched by a major mobilization of Romanian citizens who have voluntarily made their homes available to refugees without asking for any compensation.

Russian propaganda has constantly tried to discourage European governments from supporting Ukrainian refugees, precisely in order to create a humanitarian crisis. In March, at the very beginning of the invasion, the pro-Russian mayor of Chisinau, Ion Ceban, launched an attack on the refugees in the midst of a humanitarian crisis: „They are naughty, we may end up with theft, robbery, abuse and vandalism,” according to G4Media.

Translated