OSCE requests the authorities of the Republic of Moldova to facilitate travel of foreign journalists. The call was made after two investigation journalists from Greece, Aggelos Provolisianos and Vangelis Triantis, were detained for 40 minutes at the Chisinau International Airport by the Border Police for the reason that they hadn’t been accredited for performing journalistic activities in Moldova.

“Following reported refusal of entry to two Greek journalists to Moldova on 13 March, I again call on Moldova authorities to facilitate travel of foreign journalists from one OSCE country to another,“ OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Desir wrote on his Twitter page.

According to the portal anticorupție.md, the journalists said during the passport check at the Airport, they were asked about the goal of the visit to the Republic of Moldova. They answered they came on business. “We were told we do not have permission to enter the Republic of Moldova and we need accreditation to perform journalistic activities. We were then invited to an office where we were held for 30-40 minutes,” the journalists stated for the quoted source. The two were set free following the involvement of the Ambassador of Greece to Moldova with residence in Kiev.

The representatives of the Border Police at the Chisinau Airport said it was an ordinary check and the Greek citizens were asked a number of questions.