Moscow: Russia on Monday summoned Moldova’s envoy in the country over remarks made against Moscow’s ambassador in Chisinau by an unnamed political party in Moldova. A Russian Foreign Ministry statement said that Moldova’s ambassador, Lilian Darii, was given a strong protest over the ‘unfounded accusations’ by the political party, which had reportedly called for the expulsion of Russia’s ambassador and restrictions on the activities of Moscow’s diplomatic mission.
According to Anadolu Agency, the statement further said that Russia demanded a public refutation of the claims by Chisinau and emphasized the need to comply with the obligations of the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. It said that Moscow also protested the publication of a confidential note from the Russian Embassy in Chisinau, which it said was sent in response to a note by the Moldovan Foreign Ministry on gas supplies.
‘It was noted that the Russian side views this outrageous incident as yet another unfriendly step that undermines trust in Moldovan diplomacy and calls into question the reliability of interaction with Chisinau through diplomatic channels,’ the statement added.
Relations between Russia and Moldova, a former republic of the Soviet Union, have deteriorated since 2003 and completely degraded since President Maia Sandu, who is seen as pro-Western, was elected president in 2020. Sandu’s condemnation of Russia’s ‘special military operation’ in Ukraine has further escalated tensions. She has also accused Moscow of attempting to orchestrate her ouster and ‘destabilize’ Moldova-claims that Russia has denied.
Most recently, Russian energy giant Gazprom announced that it would cut gas supplies to Moldova as of Jan. 1, citing the Moldovan side’s refusal to ‘settle its debt for gas supplies’. Simultaneously, a five-year deal between Moscow and Kyiv on the transit of Russian gas through Ukraine expired on Jan. 1. The expiration of the deal prompted the Moldovan government to declare a 60-day state of emergency starting on Dec. 16.