From left: Maia Sandu, the president of Moldova; Codrut the dog; Nataša Pirc Musar, the president of Slovenia; and Austria’s president, Alexander Van der Bellen. Photograph: Maia Sandu/Facebook/Reuters
The dog of Maia Sandu, Moldovan president, has bitten the hand of Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen.
The etiquette faux-pas happened on Thursday when der Bellen tried to pet the dog, a rescue called Codrut.
In an Instagram post on Friday, the Austrian president said the dog’s reaction was understandable, adding that he gave Codrut a toy on the last day of his visit as a sign of friendship.
“My first meeting with Codrut, the “First Dog” of the Republic of Moldova, caused a bit of a stir,” the president posted on his Instagram.
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“Everyone who knows me knows that I’m a big dog lover and can understand his excitement – he was nervous because of all the people around him. It was all half as bad.”
Der Bellen added that the talks held with the Moldovan president and many Austrian entrepreneurs were fruitful.
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