Romania rejects Russia’s EU security proposal

Romania does not support Russia’s proposed European security treaty, President Traian Basescu said Wednesday alongside Georgian leader Mikheil Saakashvili, who has hostile ties with Moscow.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev unveiled his much-vaunted draft European security treaty in late November, saying it would finally end Cold War mentalities.

“I have informed President Saakashvili that Romania does not support the European security treaty project proposed by President Medvedev,” the Romanian leader said at a joint press conference.

“We consider that the mechanisms for resolving these questions exist, mainly in the OSCE (Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe) and in NATO,” he said.

“A proposal from Moscow cannot put itself above international structures,” he said at the end of a two-day visit by Saakashvili.

The proposed treaty says that countries that sign up “shall not undertake, participate in or support any actions or activities affecting significantly (the) security of any other Party or Parties to the Treaty”.

Nor shall they allow their territory to be used for an attack or “any other actions significantly affecting (the) security of any other Party”.

Georgia, which gained sovereignty with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, fought a five-day war with Russia in August 2008 over the breakaway region of South Ossetia. Ties between them have been frozen since.

The Romanian president also reiterated Bucharest’s support for Georgia’s accession to NATO’s member action plan, a programme to enable countries to join the alliance.

Tbilisi’s pro-Western efforts have infuriated Moscow.

Georgia and Romania are also cooperating on a gas deal. They are due in August to sign an agreement in which gas produced by Azerbaijan will be delivered to western Europe via Georgia and Romania, bypassing Russia.