Moldovan President's dog bites visiting Austrian President on the hand, overturns protocol

Moldovan President Maia Sandu's dog on Thursday (Nov 16) bit on the hand of visiting Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen and overturned the protocol.

As per Moldovan media reports, the incident took place when the two leaders were on a stroll in the courtyard of the presidential residence and Van der Bellen tried to pet the rescued pooch named Codrut, which means small forest.

Sandu apologised for his pet dog's actions and said that it had become frightened after witnessing a large crowd nearby.

“It’s many people,” she said.

Van Der Bellen could be seen covering his hand in a bandage in a subsequent meeting with the speaker of Moldova's parliament.

Bellen took to his official Instagram account on Friday and shared a video talking about the incident where he said, “Everyone who knows me knows I’m a big dog lover and can understand his excitement.”

He further added that his meeting with Sandu and other officials went “very good”.

Sandu had adopted Codrut in early 2023 after it was hit by a car. The dog had lost one of its legs in the accident.

“Codrut has been part of our team at the Presidency for about 7 months after he was found in the street hit by a car. Unfortunately, we were not able to save his paw, but after a few months of treatment, he is now running happily on 3 legs,” she wrote on Instagram.

Van der Bellen and Musar were in Chisinau where they held talks on Moldova’s bid to join the European Union.

In June 2023, the country was granted candidate status along with Ukraine.

“Delighted to welcome presidents Van der Bellen of Austria and Musar of Slovenia to Chisinau today,” Sandu wrote on X. “Our discussions highlighted strong support for Moldova’s EU path, marking a significant moment in our journey towards European accession.”

(With inputs from agencies)