Moldova's Foreign Affairs Ministry provides new details on situation of Moldovan citizens held by NGO in Moscow

Chisinau, 16 February /MOLDPRES/ - Moldova’s delegation has identified by its own efforts the place of the holding of Moldovan citizens Lionel Buruiana and Mihai Crihan, after a week of official requests to the Russian authorities on the place of their stay and the health condition, which remained without answer. After going to the medical institution on 15 February, following more hours of treaties with security agents of a NGO, the Moldovan officials got permission to discuss with the Moldovan citizens during ten minutes, the Foreign Affairs and European Integration Ministry’s (MAEIE) press service has reported.     

After coming on the spot, the Moldovan officials were summoned by guard agents and only after more ours of treaties with the management of the concerned NGO, they got right to see the fellow countrymen, by observing some conditions filed groundlessly, which run counter the international law and the common sense – limiting the subjects of discussion. A categorically banned subject was the one on the period since when the Moldovan fellow countrymen have been at the concerned hospital.   

Before giving access, the guards demanded that the delegation members deliver the phones or other electronic devices, although just several days before, the concerned restriction was removed in relation with more persons, including journalists, who were allowed access to the Moldovan citizens.    

Big questions were aroused also by thorough verifications made concerning the identity of the persons from the Moldovan delegation, made up of MAEIE representatives and diplomats accredited from Moldova’s Embassy in Russia. This was made by guards, who were keeping saying that they were fulfilling these powers in the name of an NGO.   

Because of the extremely short period of time spent with the two Moldovan citizens and the prohibition to tackle some subjects, the governmental delegation had no possibility to make a detailed evaluation of their situation. The medical employee present in the delegation could yet find out that the health condition of the two citizens allowed their immediate carriage to Moldova.  

Because of the mission the governmental delegation had in Moscow, which ended with this short meeting with the two Moldovan citizens, we ascertain a string of situations which trigger a deep concern about the way our fellow countrymen are held and treated, the fully non-transparent and selective approach of collaboration of the NGO which holds them with the representatives of different state institutions from Moldova. Especially, the full ignoring of the addressings of the government’s representatives, on the one hand, and the fulfillment of all wishes concerning the access to the two pilots of a person holding a public office from another state institution. 

All things found out by the governmental delegation will be made available to the competent institutions, which instrument the case of the two pilots and MAEIE along with the other state institutions will do their utmost for the two Moldovan citizens to come home as soon as possible, in conditions of full safety.