Moldovan president asks Moscow not to make emotional decisions following Russian diplomats' expulsion
CHISINAU. May 30 (Interfax) - Moldovan President Igor Dodon called on the Russian leadership "not to yield to Moldovan authorities' provocations" due to the expulsion of five Russian diplomats from the country.
"In the next few days, during my visit to St. Petersburg, I plan to meet with the Russian leadership at different levels. I hope that I will have a meeting with the president as well. We will discuss all this. But let's not make hot-headed decisions and not yield to these provocations. If, God forbid, Russia makes an emotional decision against Moldovan exports or against migrants, it will affect common people, Moldovan citizens, rather than against the Democratic Party and its leadership. These time-servers will go, their time is about to end," Dodon told a news briefing on Tuesday.
The Moldovan government "provokes retaliatory actions by this step," he said.
"I do not want to act, as they do. I do not want any destabilization of the situation; I stand against any 'Ukrainian scenarios'. But they [the ruling coalition] should bear in mind that if a brawl is inevitable, they will have to be first to hit," the Moldovan president said.
He expressed confidence that "all of the officials, who are implicated in making the decision on the expulsion of Russian diplomats, will have to be held accountable."
"It would be good, if following several ministers, the prime minister resigns as well. The Security Service director and the foreign minister will have to be held accountable, because their actions lead to the emergence of a threat to national security of Moldova. They hope that if they can get away with all this, because they are acting under the 'cover' of the Democratic Party. But this 'cover' will go, I am confident that a criminal case will be opened against them," Dodon said.
On Monday, Moldova declared five Russian diplomats as personae non grata and ordered them leave the country within 72 hours. The causes and the names of the diplomats are not officially revealed.