Moldovan President Blasts Gov't for Naming Russian Deputy FM Persona Non-Grata

The decision of the Moldovan government to declare Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin persona non-grata involved the country in an unprecedented diplomatic and geopolitical scandal, Moldovan President Igor Dodon said Wednesday.

CHISINAU (Sputnik) – Earlier in the day, the Moldovan government made the decision to declare Rogozin persona non-grata, with the Moldovan foreign minister claiming that the Russian official had recently made several offensive claims.

"Today they involved Moldova in an unprecedented diplomatic and geopolitical scandal," Dodon wrote on his Facebook page.

He stressed that naming Rogozin non-grata was an "act of huge political stupidity," which could have negative impact on both Moldova and Moldovan people. He claimed that the Moldovan authorities might be controlled as "marionettes" from abroad, emphasizing that their decision significantly undermined the economic and social perspectives for Moldovan citizens.

"Restoring good relations with Russia, that I insisted on as the president, has become a chance for dozens of thousand of farmers and labor migrants to get a job in Russia and exports revenue," Dodon said.

Rogozin was scheduled to meet with Moldovan President Igor Dodon last week, however his meeting was derailed. Romania refused to allow a Russian plane bound for Chisinau to enter its airspace because the deputy prime minister, who is on a sanctions list, was on board. Rogozin called this decision an "unfriendly move against the Moldovan president." The Russian Foreign Ministry on Friday expressed strong protest to Romania in connection with the ban.

The Russian deputy prime minister was included in the EU sanctions list over his alleged involvement in undermining the territorial integrity of Ukraine. Russia has repeatedly denied involvement in the crisis in Ukraine.