Russia's Foreign Ministry on Tuesday said it was expelling a Moldovan diplomat in what it cast as retaliation for the expulsion last week of a Russian diplomat in Moldova.
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.
