Popsoi: Possible Expulsion of Russian Ambassador May Trigger Economic Sanctions

At the end of March, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs decided to expel three employees of the Russian embassy in Chisinau citing the diplomatic mission’s alleged involvement in the flight of MP Alexandr Nesterovschi to the Transnistrian region. The head of Moldovan diplomacy described the expulsion of three Russian diplomats as an action “commensurate” with the seriousness of the Russian embassy’s involvement in the illegal transfer of Nesterovschi to the Transnistrian region before the court ruling that sentenced him to 12 years in prison, says ipn.md. “This is a defiant action that has nothing to do with the Vienna Convention, according to which they are in the Republic of Moldova and those who organized these illegal actions are declared persona non grata,” Mihai Popsoi said on the air of the programme Secretele Puterii on Jurnal TV. Mihai Popsoi also explained the reasons why the Moldovan authorities did not decide to expel Russian Ambassador Oleg Ozerov. “It would be an escalation, and the consequences are hard to predict. We may not see a symmetrical response from the Russian Federation, but an asymmetrical one, targeting economy, diaspora, or even more serious. So, we need to act with caution,” the minister said. Mihai Popsoi added that the Moldovan embassy in Moscow currently has only four diplomats, while there is a bit more Russian diplomats accredited in Chisinau. “There are four diplomats left at the Moldovan Embassy in Moscow, and there are not many Russian diplomats in Chisinau. Ancillary workers can be hired from the country of residence. This is a natural practice, but they cannot fulfil diplomatic functions,” Mihai Popsoi specified.