CHISINAU, August 7. /TASS/. Possible ban on the supply of Moldovan agricultural products to Russia will hurt local farmers, said former Moldovan President Igor Dodon. He expressed this opinion on his Telegram channel following the calls of Russian politicians to respond to the unfriendly actions of Chisinau.
"The export restriction will very painfully hit the agro-industrial complex of Moldova, which is 70% oriented to the markets of the CIS and, in particular, Russia. These are apples, wine, grapes, and so on, and we have no other market that could consume the volumes that we produce," the leader of the opposition Party of Socialists of the Republic of Moldova wrote.
He also expressed concern about possible restrictions on the entry of Moldovan citizens to Russia.
"This is very dangerous. By the way, Moldova has already restricted entry for Russian citizens. It's no secret to anyone that men are turned away without exception, and women are interrogated for 4-5 hours," Dodon said. He believes that Chisinau's actions are driven by a desire to please Western donors.
Earlier, Moldova’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration notified Russian Ambassador Oleg Vasnetsov of the need to reduce the staff of the embassy by 45 people - up to 10 diplomatic workers and 15 people responsible for administrative, technical and other functions. Thus, their number will be brought to the level of the Moldovan embassy in Moscow. Chisinau explained its decision by allegedly numerous unfriendly actions and attempts by Russia to destabilize the internal political situation in Moldova.
The Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called this decision another step by Chisinau towards the destruction of bilateral relations. She stressed that Russia will not leave it without response.