The Moldovan ambassador to Russia has been summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry after Moldova refused to accredit Russian election observers.
According to the ministry, the ambassador was called in following Chisinau’s decision to deny accreditation to Russian representatives as short-term observers within the OSCE/ODIHR monitoring mission for Moldova’s parliamentary elections scheduled for September 28. Moldova also refused to accredit members of Russia’s Civic Chamber as international observers.
The Foreign Ministry strongly protested the move, calling it an “unfounded refusal” and a violation of international obligations. “This step constitutes a blatant breach of Moldova’s commitments, particularly the 1990 OSCE Copenhagen Document and the 2002 CIS Convention on Standards for Democratic Elections, Electoral Rights and Freedoms. It contradicts the democratic values that Moldova claims to uphold and is yet another manifestation of its anti-Russian policy. Such actions seriously undermine confidence in the legitimacy and transparency of the upcoming elections,” the ministry’s statement said.
The ministry also noted that the issue would be raised not only with the OSCE/ODIHR leadership but also at meetings of OSCE decision-making bodies.
