An unnamed employee of the Russian Embassy in Moldova has been declared persona non grata by the Moldovan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration and has been ordered to leave the country. This was communicated to Russian Ambassador Oleg Vasnetsov after being summoned to the Ministry on Wednesday afternoon.

The MFAEI says the decision was taken over “actions incompatible with diplomatic status” and “in accordance with the provisions of the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations”. No other information was disclosed.

Leaving the Ministry building, Vasnetsov told reporters that he spoke about the failed visit of Rustam Minnikhanov, president of Russian Federation’s republic of Tatarstan, and that he heard “unpleasant remarks” about this delegation and the Embassy. The Russian official was supposed to attend an event held in the Gagauz autonomy, but was denied entry into Moldova when landing at the Chisinau Airport. “I asked for explanations, what they meant by inappropriate behavior shown by the delegation and the Embassy, but I did not receive a clear answer”, said Vasnetsov.

He said the embassy supports the position of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which regretted the decision as one “affecting bilateral relations”.

Officials from the Russian Embassy involved in the incident will have their Chisinau Airport access cards withdrawn, it was also reported.

Earlier, the Government spokesperson Daniel Vodă said that the Border Police explained “very clearly” the legal grounds to the people who were denied entry. The prohibition, according to Vodă, was based on the fact that the purpose of the visit was not clear.