MOSCOW, August 25. /TASS/. The blame for the current state of Russian-Moldovan relations should be placed squarely on the officials in Chisinau, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a commentary.

"The blame for the current condition of Russian-Moldovan relations rests squarely on Chisinau, whose representatives, alas, are not burdened by a sense of responsibility for the future of their country and, therefore, so easily ruin what was built for the sake of the benefit and prosperity of our peoples over many decades," Zakharova said.

She emphasized that despite the radical reduction in the number of employees of Russian foreign missions the consular section of the Russian embassy in Chisinau had reopened.

"Obviously, it will be difficult to maintain the former pace of its work. Nevertheless, despite the hindrances being posed to us we will exert every effort to continue providing consular services to citizens of Russia and Moldova," Zakharova said, adding that against this background, the Moldovan authorities' statements about the "sufficiency" of the remaining Russian diplomats in the country looked taunting.

"The head of the Moldovan Foreign Ministry, in an attempt to excuse this groundless move by Chisinau, once again alleged that many Russian embassy staffers were allegedly not interested in improving relations," Zakharova said.

The current Moldovan authorities, she stressed, are unable to "stop fomenting anti-Russian hysteria" in society and remain reluctant to turn an attentive ear to the majority of the population, interested in maintaining good-neighborly relations with Russia.

"I would like to ask Mr. [Moldovan Foreign Minister Nicolae] Popescu, which of the steps taken by Chisinau over the past year were aimed at strengthening our bilateral ties: the ousting of Russian media from the country, the decision to join the EU's anti-Russian sanctions, massive restrictions on the entry of Russian citizens into the country, or continued attacks on our foreign offices, including the reduction of their staff? This list of unfriendly steps can be prolonged," Zakharova concluded.