CHISINAU (Sputnik) — On Thursday, Moldovan authorities banned a group of Russian citizens from entering, including individuals heading to Transnistria to participate in celebrations of the 25th anniversary of the peacekeeping mission in the region. The Russian embassy called the move "provocative."
"We will deal with every separate case of the provocation that took place yesterday. I reaffirm my position: such a stance is absolutely unacceptable. Everyone involved in provocations and the undermining of our bilateral strategic relations with Russia would be identified and the time when we would hold [them] to account would come," Dodon said on his Facebook account after a meeting with Russian Ambassador to Moldova Farit Mukhametshin.
Since his election as Moldova’s president in 2016, Dodon has repeatedly stressed the need for strategic cooperation with Moscow. The president’s stance contradicts the views of several of the country's politicians, such as Prime Minister Pavel Filip, who believes that the country should strengthen its integration with the European Union.
