Russian Foreign Ministry condemns Moldova's decision to reduce number of diplomats
Moscow has described Moldova's decision to reduce the number of Russian diplomats in the country as an "unfriendly" move.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the decision would have "negative consequences" for citizens of both countries, who would no longer be able to receive consular assistance in a timely manner and business and cultural relations would be affected.
The ministry said the responsibility for the decision lay with the leadership of Moldova, which had taken an "unjustified" step.
It said the small number of Russian diplomats remaining in Moldova would not be able to cope with the workload, and that the work of the Chamber of Commerce and the Russian Centre for Science and Culture in Chisinau would also be affected.
The decision to reduce the number of Russian diplomats was taken at the end of July following a journalistic investigation by The Insider, which found that the embassy was using a large number of satellite dishes to collect sensitive information about the country.
The Moldovan Foreign Ministry has said that Russia's policy towards the country has been "hostile" and that the diplomats had been engaged in "espionage and interference in internal affairs".
The Russian Foreign Ministry has not yet said how it will respond to Moldova's decision.
