Moldovan temporary president Mihai Ghimpu responded to the Russian Foreign Affairs minister Serghei Lavrov' accusations, indicating that it was not Romania that kept an army on the Republic of Moldova's territory, Jurnal de Chisinau informs.
His reaction comes several days after Lavrov criticised Ghimpu for his attitude on Victory Day and suggested that Romania allegedly did not recognise the Moldavian state.
"It is not Romania that's got a foreign army on the Republic of Moldova's territory. The Moldavian citizens are convinced that Romania recognises Moldavia's independence and it was the first country to do so", Mihai Ghimpu retaliated in the press.
"We recognise Moldova as a sovereign and independent state. Not all Moldavia's neighbours do the same. Our Western neighbours, for example, do not consider that Moldavians constitute a nation. If I were Ghimpu, this would be my main preoccupation. I would not use a celebration, sacred for us, to make such insinuations", Serghei Lavrov declared on Wednesday evening.
His affirmations come after Moldavian temporary president explained he would not take part in the Moscow parade, because "there is where the winners will get together, and it's not our place to be in".
"How can I take part in a parade alongside the army that brought communism upon us, has organised hunger and deported us to Siberia? Today, it [the army] is in Stephen the Great's fortress. This army had been at the core or forming Transnistria", Mihai Ghimpu argued in favour of his decision.
On May 9 Russia is celebrating 65 years since the victory against the Nazi regime. It announced the greatest military parade in the post-Soviet era. This is the first time when armies from other countries can take place in the event.
