CHISINAU, Jul 26 The number of diplomats at the Russian Embassy in Moldova will be reduced to ten people, said the official representative of the Moldovan government, Daniel Voda, at a briefing following the meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers.
Earlier, Moldovan Foreign Minister Nicu Popescu announced at a government meeting about the decision of the Foreign Ministry to reduce the number of Russian diplomats.
«Today, the Ambassador of the Russian Federation was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. During the meeting, the Russian side was informed about the decision of the Moldovan authorities to equalize the number of diplomatic, administrative, technical and service personnel of the Russian Federation operating in our country with the number of the Republic of Moldova in the Russian Federation. According to this decision, at the current stage, the representation of each state on the basis of the parity principle should be 10 diplomatic posts and 15 administrative, technical and service posts,» Voda said.
The official representative of the government stressed that this measure was taken in accordance with the provisions of Art. 11 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 18 April 1961, which states that “In the absence of a specific agreement on the number of staff of the mission, the receiving State may propose that the number of staff of the mission be maintained within limits which it considers reasonable and normal, having regard to the circumstances and conditions existing in the host state, and the needs of this mission.»
Earlier, Russian Ambassador to Moldova Oleg Vasnetsov was summoned to the Moldovan Foreign Ministry to give clarifications after accusations against Russian diplomats that they were allegedly involved in espionage. Earlier, the head of the Information and Security Service of Moldova, Alexander Mustiata, accused the Russian FSB of creating an intelligence network in the republic. The Russian embassy in Chisinau said that they learned about the spy scandal from the press, and Russia's accusations of «destabilizing and influencing internal political processes» has already become a kind of «calling card» of the anti-Russian policy of the Moldovan authorities coordinated with the West. The diplomatic mission emphasized that Russia, unlike the West, respects the sovereignty of other states and does not interfere in their internal affairs.