August 2 (SeeNews) - Moldova's foreign affairs and European integration ministry said on Wednesday it has declared Russian deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin persona non grata over what it described as 'defamatory statements' about the country following a foiled visit to Chisinau.
The Russian ambassador to Moldova, Farit Muhametshin, "was summoned to the ministry in connection with recent public defamatory statements" made by Rogozin in an interview for Rossia 24 TV station, the ministry said in a statement.
The Moldovan foreign ministry described Rogozin's public statements as 'brutal interference' in the country's domestic affairs and running counter to "the nature of the bilateral relations that the Republic of Moldova wishes to build together with the Russian Federation based on mutual respect."
"In view of these arguments, respectively the extremely negative impact of statements of the high-ranking Russian state dignitary on the image and prestige of our country both internally and externally, Ambassador Farit Muhamedşin was informed of the decision of the Moldovan authorities to declare Dmitry Rogozin as undesirable person on the territory of our country," the Moldovan foreign ministry said.
Last week, Moldova's western neighbour and EU member Romania denied overflight permission to a Russian passenger plane carrying Rogozin to Moldova's capital Chisinau for a meeting with pro-Russian president Igor Dodon. The refusal was part of EU sanctions imposed on Russian officials by the EU following the annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014.
At the end of July, Moldova's pro-European parliament demanded the withdrawal of Russian forces from the break-away region of Transnistria, much to the discontent of president Igor Dodon.
Around a tenth of the ex-Soviet state's population of three million is living in the internationally unrecognised separatist republic of Transnistria, which broke away from Moldova in the 1990s. They speak Russian and identify themselves as Russians.
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