MOSCOW, May 2. /TASS/. Chisinau has displayed an unfriendly attitude toward Moscow by refusing to allow the Russian embassy in Moldova to observe the election for the head of Gagauzia [an autonomous region of Moldova - TASS], according to a commentary by Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova published on Tuesday.

"Representatives from Russia have always participated in observing the election of the head of this region. Unfortunately, the Russian embassy in Moldova was denied such an opportunity this time, in contrast to the staff of diplomatic missions from a number of other countries," the diplomat noted. "Thus, official Chisinau has yet again displayed an unfriendly approach toward Russia and shown its inclination to apply double standards," she added.

Zakharova emphasized that decisions on whether to invite international observers to monitor national and local elections is a country’s sovereign prerogative, but Moldova, as a signatory to the 2002 convention on Standards of Democratic Elections, Voting Rights and Freedoms in the CIS, undertook an obligation to "strive to facilitate the access of international observers to election processes being conducted on a lower level than the national one, including the municipal (local) level." "A similar obligation is stipulated in the 1990 CSCE [Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe] Copenhagen Document, which has been repeatedly confirmed since then by the organization’s decisions," she stated.

"We are awaiting the election run-off and hope that the voters will have the opportunity to indeed freely express their will. We hope that the region’s newly elected leadership will continue its policy toward developing traditional ties with our country and with Russian regions," the spokeswoman concluded.