Cioroianu: If Russia's implication in the shooting down of plane is proved, tougher sanctions against it should be conceived

Romania's former Foreign Minister Adrian Cioroianu on Friday told Agerpres that the shooting down of the plane that crashed in Ukraine is a crime against humanity, adding that if the implication of the Russian Federation in it is proved, sanctions should be toughened against it

'Given that Romania is not a country effectively involved, its room for manoeuvring is relatively small. And this is true for all the structures of which it is a member — NATO and the European Union — let us not victimise ourselves. Unfortunately, we will have to seriously consider toughening sanctions against Russia, of course if it is confirmed that the separatists were aided by the Russian Federation in military and perhaps intelligence terms,' said Cioroianu.

He added that the accident 'is a crime against humanity, not against a state only,' and that things are getting more serious because a Romanian citizen was among the passengers.

The former foreign minister underscored that because of the catastrophe the area becomes more unsure and Romania is affected economically as well as politically.

'It concerns us as well because our proximity, including this part of the Black Sea, is becoming increasingly more unsure, which affects us economically and politically, but mainly economically, because big aeronautic companies have already decided to take flights beyond Romania. We are virtually becoming part of a zone that cannot be visited because of this conflict. This is a sure thing nobody can deny. Nobody feels comfortable about staying in an unstable zone, and unfortunately Romania finds itself in such a situation because it lays in the proximity of the Black Sea which interests us particularly,' said Cioroianu.

He added that the...