The country’s president thanked President Donald Trump for his participation, as well as the U.S. administration for its contribution to the success of the operation. She also thanked the partners from Poland and Romania for their support at all stages of the process.
“This operation lasted for many months under the coordination of the Information and Security Service, with a number of details that could not be made public so as not to jeopardize both the operation itself and the lives of two Moldovan citizens. In order to bring them home, as a result of a complex operation, the officers were exchanged, at the request of the other side, for two people: Nina Popova, a citizen of the Russian Federation, who acted against the interests of the Republic of Moldova, and Alexandru Balan, a Moldovan citizen accused of high treason in the interests of the KGB of Belarus, who was pardoned in order to leave the country and go to Belarus,” Maia Sandu wrote on social media.
The head of state notes that “for our country this is a result that can’t be measured by a simple mathematical formula.”
“We brought home two citizens working for the Republic of Moldova, giving up in exchange two prisoners who acted against the state. Our officers are already on their way home and we are waiting for their safe return. It is important that they undergo all medical examinations – our priority remains their health and ensuring the necessary treatment if needed,” Maia Sandu commented.
The US Embassy in Moldova also commented on the case:
“President Donald Trump’s peace initiatives are yielding results in Moldova and throughout the region. Close cooperation with Moldova and other partners has made it possible to achieve this historic result.”
The embassy quotes the words of President Donald Trump’s special envoy to Belarus John Cole, who specifies that, in addition to the two Moldovan citizens, one Pole was also released.
He thanked Poland, Moldova and Romania for their support in this process, as well as President Alexander Lukashenko for “readiness for constructive engagement with the United States.
