UPDATE: Moscow protests against Romania’s prohibition to enter air space

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MOSCOW/CHISINAU/MINSK, Jul 28 (PRIME) -- Russia’s Foreign Ministry has voiced a “strong protest” against Romania’s rejection of a request of a S7 Airlines plane, which carried Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin to visit Moldovan President Igor Dodon, to enter its air space because it was carrying “a sanctioned person,” the authority said on Friday.

“Security of over 160 passengers flying in the plane” was threatened by the action, the ministry said and asked the Romanian authorities “to carry out a thorough investigation of the situation and send corresponding explanations to the Russian side”.

“Moscow sees this incident as a deliberate provocation damaging bilateral relations.”

Romania’s Foreign Ministry told PRIME that the state authorities have decided to keep the plane out of the country’s air space without specifying the reason for the decision.

Russia’s ambassador to Moldova Farit Mukhametshin earlier said that the plane has been forwarded to Minsk.

The S7’s flight carried 165 passengers, including 11 children.

“S7 Airlines is doing everything possible to ship the passengers to Chisinau. Besides, there are 170 people, waiting for a back flight in the airport of Chisinau,” a S7 representative said.

Rogozin called Romania’s decision “a demarche against the Moldovan president.”

In 2014, relations between Russia and the West deteriorated to their worse since the Cold War due to a military conflict in Ukraine. The West introduced sanctions against some Russian firms and individuals including Rogozin.

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