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Moldova handed over a note of protest to the Russian ambassador

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Nov 12, 2024 15:47 87

Moldova handed over a note of protest to the Russian ambassador about Moscow's alleged interference in the presidential elections and the referendum on joining the EU, Reuters reported.

Moldova's Ministry of Foreign Affairs indicated that Russia tried to delegitimize democratic procedures in Moldova in the presidential election won by pro-Western President Maia Sandu and in the October 20 referendum on European integration in the constitution.

Moscow rejects the accusations.

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs delivered today a note of protest to the ambassador in connection with the illegal and targeted interference of Russia in the electoral process in Moldova,", the diplomatic department said.

Russian Ambassador Oleg Ozerov said of the meeting: "The conversation made it possible to clarify issues related to our strained and complicated bilateral relations.

Moldova has accused Moscow and fugitive oligarch Ilan Shor of interfering in the run-up to the vote through a scheme to buy the votes of 300,000 people.

Shor, who lives in Russia, denies having committed the crimes he is accused of. Moscow said the election, which was held in two rounds on October 20 and November 3, was unfair and that it did not consider Sandu a legitimate president.

Relations between Russia and Moldova, a former Soviet republic, have soured as Chisinau pushed further towards European integration. In last month's referendum, voters supported the inclusion of EU membership in the constitution by a small margin, notes Reuters.

Moldova also used today's meeting with the Russian ambassador to condemn the violation of its airspace by two Russian drones, which, according to its data, crashed on its territory on Sunday.

Orezov said there was no evidence they were Russian, adding that Moscow does not send drones into the skies of Ukraine's neighboring countries.

Russia has regularly attacked Ukraine with drones and missiles since it launched a full-scale invasion of Moldova's neighboring country in 2022. Moldova occasionally finds remnants of weapons used in the war in Ukraine on its territory, Reuters recalls.

On Sunday, Chisinau reported that two Russian drones "decoys" were found in the area of the village of Boroseni-Noi, northern Moldova, and the village of Ferladen in southern Moldova, following a Russian drone strike against Ukraine. There are no victims or injured.