The 34th edition of the FAO Regional Conference for Europe will take place not in Chisinau, as it was previously planned, but in Italy’s Rome, under the aegis of the Presidency of the Republic of Moldova. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) noted that the proposal to transfer the event to Rome came from the official Chisinau, which argued that it would not allow representatives of Russia, a FAO member state, to enter its territory, IPN reports.

“We reiterate that the Moldovan authorities adopted the principled position of not admitting to its territory representatives of the FAO member state that has been waging a war of aggression against another FAO member state. The Moldovan authorities informed all the actors concerned about the possible methods of participation in hybrid format in the event by the delegations,” said the MFA.

According to the institution, because Moldova honors its international commitments, the proposal to transfer the event to Rome was formulated by Chisinau to allow the meeting to take place in accordance with FAO’s statutes and rules of procedure. “The best contribution Russia can make is to stop its aggression against Ukraine and to comply with the principles of the UN Charter,” noted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Kremlin took credit for the transfer of the FAO Regional Conference for Europe from Chisinau to Rome. “We learned from the press that a request by Chisinau to move the FAO regional conference from Chisinau to Rome is presented as a “victory” of the Russian diplomatic service through the voice of the spokeswoman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Lies have short legs,” commented the Moldovan Government’s spokesman Daniel Vodă.