MPs who met with Russian ambassador have no mandate to speak on Romanian Parliament's behalf

The four MPs who met last week with the Russian ambassador in Bucharest have "no mandate whatsoever" to speak on behalf of the Romanian Parliament, Senate President Florin Citu said on Monday, adding that the possible sanctions for their act will be taken in accordance with the two Chambers' Rules of Procedure, Agerpres reports.

Referring to the sanctions the four could face, Citu said: "We'll look at the Rules of Procedure. I don't know if there is a sanction for that."

Independent Senator Diana Sosoaca Iovanovici announced on Facebook that she and another three fellow lawmakers - deputies Dumitru Coarna, Mihai Lasca and Francisc Toba - met on Wednesday with the Russian ambassador in Bucharest Valery Kuzmin, advocating on the occasion Romania's "neutral stance", specifically Romania's "non-involvement in the war between the two belligerent states: the Russian Federation and Ukraine". According to Sosoaca, the four also proposed "the start of peace negotiations in the neutral framework offered by Romania".

Social Democrat leader Marcel Ciolacu said that deputy Dumitru Coarna had no business at the Russian Embassy, and that the dissenter's local political organization has already submitted the documents for his exclusion from the party.