Moldova's Ex-President Dodon Celebrates Birthday In Russia's Kuril Islands, Sakhalin

Former Moldovan President Igor Dodon, who is also the leader of the country's Party of Socialists, said on Friday he celebrated his 46th birthday by taking a family trip to the Kuril Islands and the Sakhalin island in Russia's Far East

CHISINAU (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 19th February, 2021) Former Moldovan President Igor Dodon, who is also the leader of the country's Party of Socialists, said on Friday he celebrated his 46th birthday by taking a family trip to the Kuril Islands and the Sakhalin island in Russia's Far East.

Dodon, born on February 18, 1975, announced plans to travel to Russia last week but did not elaborate on the purpose.

"This year I have celebrated [my] birthday at the world's end, in a remarkable, very beautiful and serene place - on the islands of Sakhalin and the Kurils. This is a wonderful place to rest and meditate," Dodon said on Facebook, attaching pictures from the trip with his wife and two sons.

The politician thanked his Russian friends, who he said invited him and his family to come, for making "such an unbelievable and unforgettable journey" possible.

Dodon was Moldova's president from December 2016� to December 2020, when he was unseated by current President Maia Sandu after the last year's presidential election. His tenure was characterized by improved relations between Chisinau and Moscow, previously strained by Moldova's ratification of the EU Association Agreement earlier in 2016.