According to the head of the Foreign Ministry, further escalation of tensions in bilateral relations should be prevented; however, in certain situations, the Republic of Moldova has responded with diplomatic notes of protest, by summoning Russian representatives to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and by expelling Russian diplomats. The Russian side has responded in kind. Currently, only a few Moldovan diplomats remain in Moscow.
“In a complex security context, a diplomat must strive to reduce tensions, not to escalate them. At the same time, we must be vigilant, firm, resolute, and principled. That is exactly how we have always acted. At various times, Russian diplomats have been expelled. Only a few remain. The Russian diplomats who are still at the embassy in Chisinau can be counted on one hand. Admittedly, a mirror image of this situation is also observed in Moscow. And it is becoming increasingly difficult for us to provide consular services to our citizens there,” Mihai Popșoi stated on the Cinema 1 television channel.
The minister also explained why the Republic of Moldova has not yet expelled the Russian Federation’s ambassador from Chisinau, noting that such a decision must be made with due regard for the principle of proportionality and the possible consequences. At the same time, Popșoi emphasized that, to date, no NATO member country has taken such a step against the Russian Federation.
“In a diplomatic context, we must be guided by the principle of proportionality as much as possible and take into account the retaliatory measures that may follow. This could be a proportional or disproportionate response. The minimum response could be the possible expulsion of our ambassador. As for a response that goes beyond the principle of proportionality, we can only speculate: it could affect either our economic relations or our diaspora, or lead to even more complex situations that we perhaps shouldn’t discuss right now. “The security situation is extremely complex,” stated Mihai Popșoi.
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