Ukrainian press: Romania and Ukraine could have found a resilient way to solve diplomatic tensions

The Ukrainian press analyzed the diplomatic scandal between Kiev and Bucharest, wondering why was the media chosen as the main stage of the scandal since both countries could have resolved the conflict informally without public attention, Romanian news agency NewsIn informs.

The unnecessary publicity the scandal received was underlined by former Ukrainian secret services chief, Igor Smesko in an interview for UNIAN agency, according to NewsIn. He underlined that the decision to expel the Ukrainian military diplomats from Romania was an exceptional event, considering the history of the bilateral relations between the two countries.

He explained that special services can apply various methods if misunderstandings stand in their way. In such cases, authorities usually take up informal ways to solve the tensions to avoid raising the interest of the media or of the global community.

Thus, the publicity of the event was an exceptional way, proving that the normal partnership agreements were not respected, Smesko declared. If information was leaked from Ukraine, this proves the lack of professionalism of the secret service system and a lack of efficiency of the state institutions controlling them, Smesko explained.

He added that he would not want to believe that Romania made a confidential endeavour, with a well grounded reason to do so, and that it was the Ukrainian authorities who leaked the information to the press.

Ukrainian deputy Aleksandr Skibinetki declared that Romania could have dealt with the issue using informal measures, ProUA news agency informs. Romania had two possibilities, he explains: to call their Foreign Ministry and urge them to expel the Ukrainian diplomat, quietly. Or, as it was the case, to leak the information to the press and to cancel the official visit of the President to Ukraine. The second represents a political decision, keen on stirring up a conflict.

The unfolding tensions between the two countries raised the interest of Russia: Russian publication Vzglead reads, on Friday that Ukraine found an answer to Romania’s decision to expel its military attaché: according to sources, the publication reads, Kiev officials decided to expel, at their turn, two Romanian diplomats, accused of anti-Ukrainian propaganda.

The espionage scandal is considered a well staged event to compromise Ukraine’s image to NATO and to shut Ukraine’s gateway to NATO membership, expert Vitali Kulik declared quoted by Segodnia.