Chairman of the Federation Council of the Russian Federation, Valentina Matvienko, voiced strong criticism towards the Moldovan authorities on Friday for their "Russophobic stance," which she believes contradicts the country's national interests.
During a meeting with Evgeniya Gutsul, the head of state of Gagauzia (a region within the Republic of Moldova), and Dmitriy Konstantinov, Chairman of the People's Assembly of Gagauzia, Matvienko expressed regret over the current direction of Moldova's foreign policy. "It is clear that the current authorities [of Moldova] are conductors of the political course imposed by the West," Matvienko said during the meeting.
"It is with great sadness that we observe everything that is happening in Moldova. This is a clearly expressed Russophobic course of the current authorities, which, in my opinion, does not correspond to the national interests of Moldova," she stated.