President Basescu's mother, Elena Basescu passed away on Monday, around 2:30 PM, the President's brother Mircea Basescu said, according to cugetliber.ro. The information was also confirmed for the Romanian news agency Mediafax by friends of the family.

UPDATE 1President Traian Basescu will return to Romania on Monday night with the first flight available, the presidency's spokesperson Valeriu Turcan declared.

The President was attending the eighth Asia Europe Summit. According to Agerpres, the President called the Romanian Foreign Affairs miniter Teodor Baconschi to replace him at the Summit.

UPDATE 2The President's brother, Mircea Basescu declared that a date for the funeral was not set yet.

Elena Basescu died at Constanta, at the age of 81. She suffered of a serious disease and was operated at a local hospital. In October 2009 Elena Basescu was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Currently, the President is at Brussels, at the eighth Europe - Asia Summit. A spokesman for the President said he would return to Bucharest on Monday night.