MOSCOW, July 13 (RIA Novosti) - The Russian Foreign Ministry is demanding an explanation from Chisinau over the arrest on four Russian Foreign Ministry officials there Sunday.
"Such provocative, unfriendly moves are undoubtedly designed to intentionally deteriorate relations between our countries," the ministry said.
On July 13, the ministry summoned Moldova's Charge d'Affaires in Russia to protest what it is calling the ungrounded arrest of its officials who were on a business trip in Chisinau. The officials were searched, questioned and detained.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov voiced a similar position after talks with OSCE Chairman and Slovenian Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel earlier.
This was the third arrest of Russians in Moldova in the last few days.
Sergei Mirzoyev, a Russian lawyer, was deported from Moldova on Friday, July 8. Moldovan authorities said he had "interfered in the internal political process" in the run-up to mayoral elections, due in Chisinau July 10.
Two other Russians, Alexei Kochetkov and Vladimir Lebedkin, were arrested on July 9 and immediately sentenced to seven and 13 days in jail, respectively, for "administrative offences."
