CHISINAU. April 19 (Interfax) - Moldovan Prime Minister Dorin Recean believes that visits by Russian officials to Moldova are unacceptable as long as the conflict in Ukraine is ongoing.
Recean made the remarks at a government meeting on Wednesday when commenting on Chisinau's decision to deny entry to Rustam Minnikhanov, the head of Russia's republic of Tatarstan, who has been designated as undesirable in Moldova.
The prime minister thanked the officers of Moldova's border police, interior ministry and foreign ministry who did not allow Minnikhanov to enter the country, citing an attempt to interfere in Moldova's domestic policies as the reason behind their decision.
"On Monday, four [foreign] citizens tried to enter Chisinau and to interfere in the elections and [Moldova's] domestic policies. We will not allow anyone to meddle in Moldova's internal affairs [...] I'd like to thank the border police service, which did its job well, the Interior Ministry and the Foreign Ministry," he said.
Recean also criticized the head of the Gagauzia autonomous region, Irina Vlah, who, according to the Moldovan prime minister refers to Minnikhanov as "[her] friend". Vlah in turn said that cooperation with Tatarstan had been ongoing for more than 25 years, and she did not understand the criticism levied against her.
On April 18, Moldovan authorities declared the head of Tatarstan, Rustam Minnikhanov, an "undesirable individual" and banned him from entering the country. Minnikhanov had traveled to Gagauzia to support Victor Petrov, who is a candidate in the election for Gagauzia's governor, at the election scheduled for April 30.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova in turn described Chisinau's conduct as "very unfriendly", calling on the Moldovan authorities "to heed the interests of their own citizens and not impede the development of individual contacts and interregional ties with Russia."