Chisinau reiterates its position on the reintegration of the country by peaceful, diplomatic methods and insists on the dialogue with the Russian Federation on the withdrawal of the Russian troops staying illegally on the country’s territory. This is the reaction of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration of Moldova to the threats made by the head of the Russian diplomatic service Sergey Lavrov. This said that any attack against the Russian peacekeepers will be perceived as an attack against the Russian Federation. To present the official position of the state, Nicu Popescu invited Russia’s charge d’affaires ad-interim in Chisinau to the Ministry, IPN reports.
In a forum, Sergey Lavrov said that “Russia is ready to do its best to protect the interests of the Russian speaking population in the Republic of Moldova.” The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Moldova came with an official reaction, noting that the Republic of Moldova guarantees the basic human rights and freedoms.
“The speakers of Russian, Ukrainian, Gagauz, Bulgarian and languages of other ethnic minorities are respected in accordance with the democratic principles, while in the case of the Russian speakers who are mentioned in the statement, the empowered national institutions were informed of no violations of their rights,” runs the press release.
In his speech, Sergey Lavrov also said that any threat to the security of the so-called Russian peacekeepers in the Transnistrian region will be regarded as a direct attack against the Russian Federation.
“Chisinau, as always, reiterates its adherence to peaceful, diplomatic methods based on dialogue both on the reintegration of the country and in the dialogue with the Russian Federation on the withdrawal of the Russian troops that stay illegally on the territory of our country. We consider any other speculations are groundless,” noted the Ministry.
To clarify the Russian minister’s statements and to present the Moldovan authorities’ position, foreign minister Nicu Popescu ordered to invite Russia’s charge d’affaires ad-interim in Chisinau to the Ministry today.
