CHISINAU: Moldova said on Wednesday it was sharply reducing the number of diplomats Russia can have in its capital Chisinau, citing years of “hostile actions” by Moscow and a media report about possible spying kit installed on the embassy's rooftop.
Relations between Russia and Moldova, once part of the Soviet Union, have reached new lows after President Maia Sandu strongly condemned Moscow's invasion of neighbouring Ukraine and accused Russia of plotting to overthrow her.
"We agreed on the need to limit the number of accredited diplomats from Russia, so that there are fewer people trying to destabilize the Republic of Moldova," Foreign Minister Nicu Popescu said at a cabinet meeting.
Embassy personnel will be cut to 25 from more than 80, the foreign ministry said in a separate statement, bringing Russia's embassy in line with Moldova's diplomatic mission in Moscow.
Russia should implement the decision by Aug. 15, it said.
"For many years we have been the object of hostile Russian actions and policies. Many of them were made through the embassy," Popescu said.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told a weekly briefing that Moldova's decision would "not go unanswered," calling it "another step in the destruction of bilateral relations" between the countries.
The Kremlin said it regretted Moldova's decision and accused the country's leadership of encouraging "Russophobia".
"Unfortunately, Chisinau is deliberately driving our relations into a very miserable state," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
Popescu, in his remarks, alluded to a media report by The Insider and television channel Jurnal TV about equipment installed on the Russian embassy's rooftop that could be used for spying.
The report prompted Moldova's foreign ministry to call in Russia's ambassador to provide an explanation. Zakharova said the spying accusation was "a fantasy which has nothing to do with reality."
Russia's ambassador to Moldova, Oleg Vasnetsov, said the embassy needed antennas because it was built at the end of the 1990s. "If telephony and internet worked well, there probably wouldn't be a need for constant upgrades," he said.
Moldova cuts Russian embassy staff over ‘hostile actions’
https://arab.news/9t9fe
Moldova cuts Russian embassy staff over ‘hostile actions’
- Embassy personnel will be cut to 25 from more than 80, the foreign ministry said
- Russia should implement the decision by Aug. 15
France, Algeria to resume security cooperation: minister
- Algeria plays a key role in the latter, sharing borders with junta-led Niger and Mali, both gripped by terrorist violence
ALGIERS: France and Algeria agreed on Tuesday to restart security cooperation during a visit to Algiers by French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez, marking the first sign of a thaw in diplomatic ties.
After meeting with President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, Nunez said both sides had agreed to “reactivate a high-level security cooperation mechanism.”
The visit took place against a backdrop of thorny relations between France and its former colony, frayed since Paris in 2024 officially backed Moroccan sovereignty over the disputed Western Sahara region, where Algeria supports the pro-independence Polisario Front.
Nunez said Monday had been devoted to working sessions aimed at “restoring normal security relations,” including cooperation in judicial matters, policing and intelligence.
He thanked the Algerian president for instructing his services to work with French authorities to “improve cooperation on readmissions.” Algeria has for months refused to take back its nationals living irregularly in France.
The renewed cooperation is expected to take effect “as quickly as possible” and continue “at a very high level,” Nunez confirmed.
According to images released by Algerian authorities, the talks brought together senior security officials from both countries, including France’s domestic intelligence chief and Algeria’s head of internal security.
Invited by his counterpart Said Sayoud, Nunez’s trip had been planned for months but repeatedly delayed.
Both sides have a backlog of issues to tackle. Before traveling, Nunez said he intended to raise “all security issues,” including drug trafficking and counterterrorism.
Algeria plays a key role in the latter, sharing borders with junta-led Niger and Mali, both gripped by terrorist violence.
Ahead of the trip, Nunez had also mentioned the case of Christophe Gleizes, a French sports journalist serving a seven-year sentence for “glorifying terrorism.”
It is unclear whether the matter was discussed with Tebboune, from whom the journalist’s family has requested a pardon.
