MOSCOW, March 14. /TASS/. Russia thinks that the European Parliament’s resolution on returning gold to Romania is illegitimate and any such resolutions are a pointless provocation geared to fan hatred toward Russia in the European Union, Mikhail Shvydkoy, Russian presidential envoy for international cultural cooperation, told TASS.
"The Russian side doesn’t consider this claim to be legitimate. And in the current situation, mutual settlements with Romania are a thing of the past. Today, when the European Union is helping Ukraine in one form or another, participating in the confrontation with Russia, such a resolution is seen as an act of provocation and can only be rejected," he said.
The European Parliament earlier passed a resolution supporting Romania’s demand that its gold and historic archives that had been taken to Russia as early as in 1916-1917 be returned to the country.
"Such resolutions, to my mind, are nothing but a senseless provocation, geared to whip up hostile attitudes toward Russia in Europe. This is an unfair and absolutely short-sighted move by European lawmakers," Shvydkoy stressed.