CHISINAU, August 16. /TASS/. Russia’s consulate in Chisinau will resume its operations after a hiatus stemming from the Moldovan government's demand to reduce the number of diplomats by 45 people.

"The consular section at the Russian embassy in the Republic of Moldova will resume receiving citizens regarding all consular matters starting from August 17, 2023," the embassy’s press service announced.

Earlier, the Moldovan Foreign Ministry notified Russian Ambassador Oleg Vasnetsov of the need to reduce the embassy’s staff to 10 diplomats and 15 technical employees. Thus, their number will correspond to the number of employees at the Moldovan embassy in Moscow. Chisinau attributed its decision to multiple purportedly unfriendly actions by Russia and alleged attempts to destabilize Moldova’s domestic political situation.

Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov said that Moldova’s decision to cut the staff of the Russian diplomatic mission represents a continuation of the current Moldovan leadership’s unfriendly stance with regard to Russia. He cautioned that such steps are usually reciprocated, as per diplomatic practice.