Members of the Party “Building Europe at Home” (PACE) denied the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration’s assertions that one of the three PACE members was banned from entering the Russian Federation and the actions of the three were part of a premeditated provocation, IPN reports.

In a press briefing, PACE first vice president Denis Roșca sad that the PACE on July 2 informed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration and Moldova’s Embassy in Russia about the intention of the three party members to travel to the Russian Federation. Neither the Ministry nor the Embassy informed that Gheorghe Cavcaliuc was banned from entering Russia. “During two days, they knew that our leader was to travel there, but said nothing. So, it is a lie,” stated Denis Roșca.

He also denied the information that the group had return tickets for the flight of 10:50pm, July 4, which is the same day it left. The return ticket of Gheorghe Cavcaliuc is for July 5, 10:40pm. They do not know anything about the reason for the arrest of the three and about the state of health of one of the three members. They consider this is a “political order” of the Electoral Bloc of the Communists and the Socialists and of the Electoral Bloc “Renato Usatîi”, which act together to block the PACE’s activity.

Valentina Geamănă, one of the PACE members who travelled to Moscow, through a video call said the situation remains uncertain and they know nothing about Gheorghe Cavcaliuc. No one from the Embassy approached them, while the employees of the airport argued that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration didn’t put them on the list of passengers who travel to Russia for work purposes. They consider this is a political order aimed at demoralizing the team and at removing the party from the election campaign.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration sad the three members of the Party “Building Europe at Home”, who were detained at the Sheremetyevo Airport, intentionally didn’t obey the rules of entering the Russian Federation. According to the Ministry, one of the three Moldovan citizens (Gheorghe Cavcaliuc, Valentina Geamănă and Alexandru Cârpă), knowing that this was banned from entering Russia, went to Moscow being aware of the consequences of such a decision. The Ministry didn’t specify the name of this person.