Moldovan president stands for amendments to legislation allowing imposition of personal sanctions

CHISINAU. June 15 (Interfax) - Moldovan President Maia Sandu has said that the country's legislation will be amended to allow the imposition of sanctions on certain foreign nationals.

"We need to introduce certain amendments to the legislation so that such sanctions could be imposed. As of now, we have a list of foreign nationals who are banned from entering Moldova. In addition, I think that international sanctions imposed by the United States and other countries are more painful and efficient than what we can do. But we are working in that regard," Sandu said on TV8 television on Thursday evening.

She welcomed the decisions made by the European Union, the U.S., Canada and the United Kingdom to impose sanctions on fugitive Moldovan tycoons and Russian citizens believed to be involved in activities to destabilize the country.

"These are good decisions that help us counter hybrid threats, attempts to destabilize the situation in Moldova," Sandu said.

She acknowledged that Moldova should also impose international sanctions on foreign nationals involved in such activities.

She said the Moldovan authorities have sent an additional list to Brussels, which includes certain individuals who could be sanctioned.

In early June, the U.S. designated "seven leading members of a Russian intelligence-linked [...] influence group for their role in the [...] destabilization campaign in Moldova." "Konstantin Sapozhnikov, Yury Makolov, Gleb Khloponin, Svetlana Boyko, Alexei Losev, Vasily Gromovikov, and Anna Travnikova are all members of this Russia-connected [...] influence group that is attempting to destabilize the government of Moldova," the U.S. Treasury Department said in a statement.

Previously, the U.S. sanctioned tycoons Vladimir Plahotniuc and Ilan Shor. The EU sanctions list also included MP Marina Tauber, PACE party leader Gheorghe Cavcaliuc and Russian businessman Igor Chaika, while Canada added businessman Veaceslav Platon, who is hiding in London, as well as former MPs Vladimir Andronachi and Constantin Botnar to the list.