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The
ministry said in a statement it had summoned Moldova's
ambassador in Moscow to announce the expulsion, as well as to
protest against what it called "unfriendly steps towards Russia"
and "regular anti-Russian statements" from Chisinau.
Moldovan Foreign Minister Nicu Popescu called the move "hostile"
and said it was the latest episode in decades of Russian efforts
to hold back Moldova's development as an independent state.
Moldova said last week it was expelling a Russian diplomat. A
government spokesman said that decision was connected to actions
of Russian embassy staff towards Moldovan border guards who had
denied entry to a regional Russian politician at Chisinau
airport.
Moldovan police said that Tatarstan governor Rustam Minnikhanov
had wanted to visit Moldova to boost support for a pro-Russian
candidate in a regional election.
Moldova, which applied to join the European Union last year
alongside its neighbor Ukraine, has repeatedly accused Russia of
trying to destabilize the country, something Moscow denies.
(Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Gareth Jones, Alexandra
Hudson)
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