MOSCOW(BullionStreet): Romania reiterated it's stand on the issue of getting back the 93 tons of gold evacuated to Russia for safe keeping during the World War.

According to country's foreign minister Titus Corlatean the return of the Romanian treasure remains a priority for his country.

During the first world war, to safeguard it's treasures from German invasion, Romania signed a deal with the Russian government which stated that Russia would safe keep the Romanian Treasure in the Kremlin until the end of the war.

Nearly a century later Russia is yet to return the treasure to Romania. A full list of the treasure was presented in 2004 to Russia by Romania.

In 1935, the USSR did return a part of the archives, and in 1956 paintings and ancient objects, most notably, the Pietroasele treasure.

All the governments of Romania since World War I, regardless of their political colour, have tried unsuccessfully to negotiate a return of the gold and of the culturally valuable objects, but all Soviet and Russian governments have refused.

Russia, however expressed regret on Thursday over Romanian attempts to raise in the Council of Europe the issue and called on Bucharest not to "stir up the past”.

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) is currently discussing a major review of its monitoring of Russia.

An amendment has been added to the document containing demands for the "return of Romania's treasure temporarily evacuated to Moscow during the course of the First World War.

The Council said such a return could start with the return of the National Bank of Romania's gold reserves consisting of 93.4 tons of gold in coin and ingots.

The subject of Romanian gold is not currently a matter of political dialog between Moscow and Bucharest, he said, and should be consigned to history.