Flag of Moldova (Photo: REUTERS / Vladislav Culiomza)
Mihai Popșoi criticized Ozerov’s visit to Transnistria, saying it does not help improve relations or mutual understanding between Moldova and Russia.
“Moldova has an unfortunate tradition of ambassadors visiting the Transnistrian region, which we do not encourage,” he said.
The Moldovan foreign minister also noted that Ozerov cannot hold official meetings yet, as he has not been accredited.
“Such meetings are not allowed even when an ambassador is approved but not yet accredited. I’m not sure whether this qualifies as a ‘high-level meeting’ or if there simply are no ‘high-level officials’ in Transnistria, which remains part of Moldova,” he said.
Popșoi added that there is no strong reason to deny Ozerov accreditation as Russia’s ambassador to Chisinau. However, he did not specify how long the process might take, despite the Russian diplomat waiting nearly five months.
“He was close to accreditation, but at the same time, there was a wave of extremely unfriendly and even aggressive statements from Russian officials toward Moldova, which led to the decision being postponed,” he said.
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