Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen got a less than friendly welcome during a visit to Moldova when he was bitten by President Maia Sandu’s rescue dog on the hand during his visit to Chişinău.
The incident, which was filmed by the media, occurred when Ms Sandu and Mr. Van der Bellen were strolling through the courtyard of the Presidential Palace in the Moldovan capital.
Sandu brought her dog, a rescue named Codruț, to a photo-op with Van der Bellen and Slovenian President Nataša Pirc Musar, also present at the meeting, earlier in the day.
At one point, Van der Bellen reached down to pet Codruț, but the dog lunged at him and snapped at his right hand. Sandu apologized and explained Codruț had become overwhelmed.
Maia Sandu's dog bit the Austrian president when he tried to pet it
The Moldovan President sheltered a stray dog, which had lost a leg in an accident. The dog, named Codrut, was probably frightened by a stranger and therefore bit Alexander van der Bellen's finger. Sandu… pic.twitter.com/dOUdQn2NjW
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) November 16, 2023
“There are many people,” she said. Van der Bellen was later photographed with a bandaged hand.
Sandu adopted Codruț, a former stray, in early 2023 after the dog was hit by a car, and lost a leg.
“Codruț 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/
Codruț has become something of an online celebrity in Moldova after She has posted photos hiking with the three-legged pup on social media.
Van der Bellen and Musar were in Chişinău to discuss Moldova’s bid to join the EU. In June, the country was granted candidate status along with Ukraine.
