Conclusion Of Basic Treaty With Russia Is In Romania's Interests - Prominent Romanian Politician

President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, prominent Romanian politician Adrian Severin spoke in favour of earliest conclusion of the basic political treaty between Romania and Russia. "Russia is a major component of the present-day world" and the conclusion of this treaty will be an absolutely normal step, he said in an interview to RIA Novosti. The PACE president stressed that Bucharest joined the negotiating process with Russia proceeding primarily from its own interests. At the same time Severin expressed conviction that "good relations with Russia are Romania's trump-card also in relations with the West." Adrian Severin deems it non-productive to link the treaty to controversial issues in bilateral relations. That is the issues of returning the so-called "Romanian gold" evacuated to Russia during the World War I, discussing of the Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact, and of mutual non-participation in groupings aimed against one of the negotiating parties. The last point at which Moscow insists the Romanian politicians link with the counteraction to Bucharest's "general line" of integration into NATO.