Russian Ambassador: Russia Will Try to Preserve Friendship Relations with Moldova

Russian Ambassador to Moldova Oleg Vasnetsov said that “Russia will try to prevent the destruction of relations with Moldova”. He claimed this in an interview with the Russian news agency TASS, commenting on Chisinau’s decision to reduce the number of diplomats and technical staff at the Russian embassy. “We said before that Russia wants to develop dialogue. This position remains unchanged. The embassy staff will make every effort to develop the historically established ties. Even with a reduced staff, we will do our best to develop the historically established friendly ties between our nations, to build a pragmatic and mutually beneficial dialogue at the international level,” Vasnetsov outlined. Speaking about the “anti-Russian policy pursued by the Moldovan authorities,” he said that “the Russian side will try to prevent the destruction of friendship relations,” but Moldova’s decision to cut the staff of the Russian embassy “creates problems for the citizens and complicates cooperation in all spheres.” “Unfortunately, for objective reasons, the consular services for both compatriots and Moldovan citizens will have to be adapted taking into account the staff reduction. The decision of the Moldovan authorities will undermine the established ways of cooperation with Russia in the cultural and humanitarian, business and public spheres. After all, the Russian Centre for Science and Culture has also got downsized, leaving only one employee. But we intend to continue working with our compatriots, to contribute together to the preservation of the joint military-historical heritage, to counter attempts to distort the events of our joint past,” the Russian ambassador said.