MOSCOW, July 21. /TASS/. Moldovan Ambassador Lilian Darii was summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry in connection with what Moscow calls a gross violation by Moldova of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, as he was issued a stern protest, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
TASS has compiled the key facts of what is currently known.
Summoning the Moldovan ambassador
- Darii was called in to the Russian Foreign Ministry on July 21 in connection with Moldova's gross violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, the ministry said.
- A strong protest was issued to him over two incidents involving employees and vehicles of the Russian Embassy in Moldova.
- Russia reserves the right to take reciprocal measures in response to Moldova's violations of the fundamental provisions of the 1961 Convention on Diplomatic Relations, the ministry said.
Incidents with Russian embassy staff in Moldova
- On July 19, Moldovan police officers stopped a Russian embassy bus in Chisinau, allegedly to check documents, but wound up removing the vehicle's diplomatic registration plates without explanation.
- Moldovan police officers threatened to detain Russian embassy staff and used force against them, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry.
- The Russian embassy's request to the Moldovan Foreign Ministry to send a representative to clarify the situation was ignored, according to a statement on the Russian Foreign Ministry's website.
- On the night of July 20-21, there was another incident at the Leuseni border crossing when Russian embassy staff were leaving Moldova to deliver official cargo to Russia.
- The staff were unreasonably detained at the border for more than four hours, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry.
Other incidents
- On June 25, the Russian Foreign Ministry said its diplomatic couriers were detained for several hours at Chisinau Airport.
- The diplomatic couriers were unable to enter Moldova and were forced to return to their homeland, although Moldova had been informed about their arrival in advance.
- Moldova demanded that diplomatic documents and mobile phones be inspected, according to Anton Kobyakov, an adviser to the Russian president and executive secretary of the organizing committee for the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.
- On June 26, the Russian Foreign Ministry summoned Darii in connection with Chisinau's flagrant violation of the fundamental provisions of the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
