CHISINAU, August 11. /TASS/. Russia’s embassy in Moldova will do its best to establish a constructive dialogue with Chisinau, despite the unfriendly step it took to reduce the number of Russian diplomats, Russian Ambassador to that country Oleg Vasnetsov told TASS on Friday.

"Russia’s embassy in Moldova is interested in developing constructive and mutually beneficial cooperation, despite the Moldovan authorities’ unfriendly decision to seriously reduce Russia’s diplomatic and technical personnel. Even with the reduced staff, we will do our utmost to develop the historically friendly ties between our peoples, as well as build a pragmatic and mutually beneficial dialogue on the international level," he said.

He cited opinion polls demonstrating that most Moldovans want to have good neighborly relations with Russia. "These days, we receive calls from politicians, public activists, people of culture and rank and file people, who are concerned over the authorities’ latest anti-Russian initiative. We tell them that we will do our best not to let the relations of friendship and cooperation between our countries go to pieces and will continue the many projects that were started as part of this cooperation," Vasnetsov stressed.

Relations between the two countries began to worsen after pro-European forces came to power in Moldova in 2021. The expulsion of Russian diplomats was preceded by publications in the Moldovan mass media and on social networks alleging that the number of antennas on the building of the Russian embassy indicated that it might be engaged in spying. And after EU Ambassador to Moldova Janis Mezeiks posted a photo of his Chisinau office’s roof with no antennas on it, the Russian ambassador to Moldova was summoned to the Moldovan foreign ministry for explanations.

In the end, Chisinau demanded that Russia reduce the number of its embassy’s employees to ten diplomats and 15 administrative and technical employees, to bring them to parity with the employees of the Moldovan embassy in Moscow. Moldovan Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Nicolae Popescu explained this step by saying that Russian diplomats were suspected of being involved in "unfriendly" activities, "espionage," and attempts to destabilize the political situation in the country. Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova warned the Moldovan side that Russia would not leave this unfriendly step unanswered.