Overview

• Russia’s Foreign Ministry said Ambassador Lilian Darii was called in on September 24 and handed a decisive protest.
• Moscow reports that Chisinau denied accreditation to Russian short-term participants in the OSCE/ODIHR mission as well as members of Russia’s Civic Chamber.
• The ministry argues the refusal violates the 1990 Copenhagen Document and the 2002 CIS convention on democratic election standards.
• Russian officials labeled the decision incompatible with professed democratic values and described it as part of an anti-Russian policy.
• The ministry said the move undermines confidence in the election’s legitimacy and that it will raise the issue with ODIHR leadership and OSCE bodies, while no Moldovan response was reported.