Moldova reducing number of Russian embassy employees to 25 - statement

CHISINAU. July 26 (Interfax) - The personnel of the Russian embassy to Moldova shall be reduced to 25 people, the Moldovan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration (MFAEI) said on Wednesday.

"Russian Ambassador Oleg Vasnetsov was informed of the decision on Wednesday, after being summoned to the MFAEI. In line with this decision, the diplomatic missions of both countries must currently comprise 10 diplomatic and 15 administrative, technical, and service positions based on the parity principle," the ministry said on Wednesday.

Moldova has decided to make the number of the Russian embassy's personnel in Chisinau equal to the number of the Moldovan embassy personnel in Moscow, it said.

A diplomatic note handed to Russia stipulates that it must comply with Moldova's decision by August 15, 2023.

The decision was prompted by the embassy's "numerous unfriendly actions with regard to Moldova, which are unrelated to diplomatic activities, as well as attempts to destabilize the situation in the country," the ministry said.

Moldova's decision complies with the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, it said.