CHISINAU. April 13 (Interfax) - The Moldovan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration has said it was "deeply perplexed" by Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov's recent visit to Transdniestria without previously notifying Moldovan authorities.
"The Moldovan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration was deeply perplexed by Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov's unannounced visit to the Transdniestrian region of the Republic of Moldova without previously obtaining consent from the Republic of Moldova's authorities," the ministry said in a commentary on Friday.
Russia's charge d'affaires to Moldova was summoned to the Foreign Ministry on April 12, it said.
"It was called to the Russian diplomat's attention that this action was unacceptable and caused a lot of questions both about this visit's purpose and about such steps' possible influence on Moldovan-Russian bilateral relations. The Foreign Ministry also sent a verbal note to the Russian embassy to demand explanations," the ministry said.
Moldovan parliamentarians also demanded explanations about Serdyukov's visit to Transdniestria on Friday morning. They described the visit as "an unfriendly gesture toward the Republic of Moldova incompatible with strategic partnership with the Russian Federation, which the incumbent Moldovan authorities have declared."
Serdyukov, accompanied by Valery Yevnevich, a former commander of the 14th Russian Army deployed in Transdniestria, arrived on Thursday at the Odessa airport of Shkolny, from where they drove to Tiraspol. Transdniestrian media said the Russian defense minister inspected military depots and other sites of Russia's peacekeeping forces in Transdniestria.