Moldova denies declaring leader of Russia's Tatarstan ‘persona non grata’ amid refusal to enter country

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - Moldova has denied that it declared Tatarstan’s leader Rustam Minnikhanov “persona non grata” amid a planned visit to the country’s autonomous region of Gagauzia.

“Supporting a candidate in our country's local elections is not a valid reason (to enter Moldova), and the authorities have asked Russian officials to refrain from interfering in our country's internal affairs,” a statement by the Moldovan Border Police read on Monday.

The statement said entry into Moldova was prohibited for 46 foreign citizens in the past 24 hours on the grounds that they “did not meet the conditions for authorization to cross the state border.”

It noted that all foreign citizens who were refused entry to Moldova returned back to their countries of origin.

“The persons could not justify the purpose of their trip, got confused in their statements, but also provided contradictory information about the purpose of the visit to our country,” the statement added.

Minnikhanov claimed in a video statement, on his arrival to the country, that Moldovan authorities declared him and his delegation as “unwanted citizens.”

A later statement by Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Minnikhanov arrived in the country with a delegation to take part in a congress in the Gagauzia region, adding that Chisinau’s refusal to provide entry is “another unfriendly step towards not only Tatarstan and Gagauzia, but also towards Russia.”

“It is aimed at undermining the traditionally close interaction between the regions of our countries. We are sure that such an anti-Russian course does not find support in the general public of Moldova,” Zakharova said.​​​​​​​