Romania denies flyover to Russian deputy PM

Bucharest blocked Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogosin from entering Romanian airspace on Friday. Rogosin was headed for Chișinău on a passenger jet to meet with Moldova's pro-Russian president and attend a military parade in the self-proclaimed state of Transnistria. However, his name is on a list of persons banned under sanctions from entering the EU. Romania's media is at odds about whether Bucharest's decision was the right thing to do.

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Ziare (RO) /

Bucharest should not get involved

Bucharest should not have intervened, Ziare comments:

“If Romania had reacted in the same way that Poland, Slovakia and Hungary did, the plane carrying Dmitry Rogozin would have landed in Chișinău. But the leader [of the ruling Democratic Party] Vladimir Plahotniuc would have faced enormous problems: should he provoke Moscow by refusing entry to Russian representatives or should he neglect his duties arising from the association agreement with the EU? … At any rate the Russians are happy because now they can continue a dispute with a Nato country and keep conflicts in the region simmering. But we are the only victims here, it seems. We allowed ourselves to be dragged into other people's games simply to protect the cleptocracy in Moldova.”

Evenimentul Zilei (RO) /

Geography works against Moscow

That is the right lesson for Moscow, counters Evenimentul Zilei:

“A symbolic failure. If the deputy president had been able to come he would have been able to underscore Russia's greatness one more time and the right of his country to do whatever it wants 'in the neighbourhood'. ... But geography is taking its revenge and teaching Russia a lesson because his physical access to the separatist enclave [Transnistria] or to the Republic of Moldava is blocked as long as the travel ban on the airspace in the two neighbouring states is in place.”