PM Ponta’s presence in Baku for European Games opening stirs controversies

Romanian premier’s attending the opening of the first ever edition of the European Olympic Games in Baku on Friday night was slammed by the Presidential Administration and PNL opposition party. A photo featured by the media from the official tribune shows Victor Ponta staying behind Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The chief of Romanian Presidential Chancellery, Dan Mihalache said the premier’s presence there is a mistake.

“I would have enjoyed to represent Romania’s President there, but there are certain things that we must consider when we accept this kind of invitations. When I saw that all EU leaders’ representation is very low, I decided not to go. We haven’t been informed about PM Ponta’s being there, if you ask me, his presence there is a foreign policy mistake,” Mihalache said when asked to comment the fact that PM Ponta went to Baku although the other European leaders announced they would boycott the European Games opening due to Azerbaijan’s human rights related issues.

PNL co-president Alina Gorghiu stated that PM Ponta’s presence in Baku “is going beyond imprudence level, beyond political indecency”, while accusing him “of feeling like compromising Romania and Romania’s image abroad.”