The work of Russian diplomat Oleg Ozerov was verified and no statements that would target the Republic of Moldova were identified in his speeches. Commenting on the appointment of Ozerov as ambassador of the Russian Federation in Chisinau, Deputy Prime Minister Mihai Popșoi, Minister of Foreign Affairs, said that Moldova’s diplomatic service accepted the diplomat’s candidacy after the competent institutions carried out all the necessary checks, IPN reports.
According to the Deputy Prime Minister, Chisinau accepted the designated new Russian ambassador after thorough checks.
“It took a few months, as the procedure requires. The same thing happened in Romania a few months ago. The same happened in other European countries. We are neither the first nor the last. It’s natural rotation. Oleg Vasnetsov stayed for more than six years in Chisinau. The rhetoric of the current ambassador is well known. Did we imagine that they would send to us as ambassador someone who would wear a national peasant blouse or would speak Romanian? The checks conducted by the competent institutions didn’t not reveal statements targeting the Republic of Moldova,” Mihai Popșoi said in the program “Secrets of the Power” on Jurnal TV.
The official insisted that the Republic of Moldova will not allow any foreign diplomat to act to the detriment of the country’s national interests, and the presence of Russian diplomats in Chisinau will remain reduced.
“We must have sufficient confidence in the capacities of the Republic of Moldova as a state, as it happened last year, when a very large number of undercover diplomats of the Russian Federation were declared persona non-grata because they were working to the detriment of the national interests of the Republic of Moldova. At that time, the state institutions did their job brilliantly and showed the entire country that they have sufficient capacity and any violation by any diplomat who acts to the detriment of the national interests of the Republic of Moldova and violates the provisions of the Vienna Convention are penalized. It will continue to happen so. Since last year, the Russian diplomatic presence in Chisinau has been significantly reduced,” stated the minister.
The Ambassador-designate of the Russian Federation in Chisinau Oleg Ozerov had served as ambassador-at-large and head of the Secretariat of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum since May 2020. He held several positions within the central apparatus of the Russian Foreign Ministry, was on missions in such countries as Syria, Tunis, and France. Ozerov will replace in Chisinau Oleg Vasnetsov, who was appointed ambassador of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Moldova in April 2018, succeeding Farit Muhametsin, who had held the post since 2012.
