Austrian President Alexander van der Bellen had an uncommon encounter throughout an official go to to Moldova when the nation’s first canine, a rescue belonging to Moldovan President Maia Sandu, bit him on the hand.
Video footage from Moldovan media confirmed van der Bellen standing with Sandu and Codrut, her rescue canine, throughout his go to to the Moldovan capital, Chisinau, on Friday. When the Austrian president leaned all the way down to pet Codrut, the canine snapped and briefly bit his hand.
“It was a small wound that was treated with a bandage,” van der Bellen’s workplace informed the German information company dpa, including that the Austrian president “is doing well.”
Van der Bellen was assembly with Sandu and Slovenian President Natasa Pirc Musar to debate Moldova’s bid to affix the European Union.
The Austrian president posted concerning the incident on his Instagram web page later Friday, acknowledging it “caused a bit of a stir.”
“Everyone who knows me knows that I’m a big dog lover and can understand his excitement,” van der Bellen mentioned of Codrut the canine. “He was nervous because of all the people around him.”