Moldovan Ambassador Summoned to Russian Foreign Ministry

Lilian Darii was delivered a strong protest against the Moldovan authorities’ refusal to accredit Russian representatives as observers within the OSCE ODIHR mission at the republic’s parliamentary elections on 28 September. “This step is a gross violation by Chisinau of its international obligations, in particular the 1990 OSCE Copenhagen Document and the 2002 CIS Convention on Standards for Democratic Elections, Electoral Rights and Freedoms, to which the Republic of Moldova is a party. It is incompatible with the democratic values to which the Moldovan leadership professes to be committed and is yet another manifestation of its anti-Russian course,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said, according to kommersant.ru. The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights monitors elections in the organization’s member states. The Russian Foreign Ministry has promised to raise the issue of the “outrageous decision by the Moldovan authorities” with the leadership of the ODIHR.