Lavrov: Russia could impose restrictions on Moldovan migrants in response to the expulsion of Russian diplomats
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that in response to the expulsion of Russian diplomats from Moldova, Moscow could impose restrictions on the work of Moldovan migrant workers, but the Russian authorities decided not to resort to this decision.
"President Putin decided not to do this at this stage. He communicated with Moldovan President Igor Dodon in St. Petersburg and they reached such an agreement," TASS quoted Lavrov as saying.
According to the head of the Russian diplomatic ministry, the staff expelled from the embassy in Chisinau mainly dealt with military matters. "These are people who ensure the functioning of the Joint Control Commission, which consists of representatives from Chisinau, Transnistria and the Russian Federation. They regularly discuss and resolve issues related to security on the line of contact with the rest of Moldova. This commission will not be able to work," he stated.
According to the minister, the decision to expel embassy personnel in Moldova is inspired by external forces and is designed to embroil the two countries.
"It is not Chisinau that came up with this idea. Chisinau has no freedom of maneuver for this. It is necessary to clearly understand who wants to make us quarrel with our neighbors. In some cases, like with Ukraine, it turned out to be possible. The country was significantly set in anti-Russian sentiment," the diplomat added.
On May 29, Moldova declared five Russian diplomats persona non grata and ordered them to leave the country. In turn, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation declared the same on five employees of the Moldovan diplomatic mission in Moscow.