MOSCOW, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- Russia reserves the right to retaliate against Moldova's new law on restricting TV and radio programs by Russian media, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Thursday.
"We note with regret that this act of outright discrimination against Russian media is yet another anti-Russia move by the ruling parliamentary majority in Chisinau," the ministry's spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said, according to a transcript published by the ministry.
On Wednesday, the Moldovan parliament approved a law on amendments to the code on television and radio broadcasting, introducing bans in Moldovan news, information-analytical, political and military TV and radio programs made by media outlets from foreign countries that have not ratified the European Convention on Transfrontier Television, including Russia.
The enactment of the law shows that Moldova "is moving further away from democratic norms and towards totalitarian methods of dealing with alternative views," Zakharova said.
"We confirm our commitment to the generally recognized principle of reciprocity in international relations and retain the right to take retaliatory measures," she said.
Moldova is a former Soviet republic sandwiched between Romania and Ukraine.
