Organisers of the Guitar Music Festival, which is taking place in Moldova, have said that musician Goran Bregovic was denied entry to the country over the weekend, although he had already landed at Chișinău airport, AFP reported on Monday.

According to a source close to the government, who was contacted by an AFP journalist today, Bregovic, 73, has been on Moldova's list since last year due to his pro-Russian views.

Bregovic arrived in Moldova on Saturday and he and his band were denied entry.

He held a concert in Crimea in March 2015, shortly after Russia annexed the Ukrainian peninsula. Ukraine criticised his decision and saw it as a sign of support to Moscow.

Since the start of the conflict in Ukraine, he has rarely commented on it. He told Italy's Corriere della sera daily in May that he was sorry for all killed soldiers and civilians, both Ukrainian and Russian.

Last night, the festival's organisers said on Facebook that Bregovic and his band were denied entry to Moldova and posted his reaction to Moldova's move.

Bregovic was quoted as saying that he was “very disappointed” and that he and his band “were not allowed into Moldova… without any official explanation.”

Moldova's border police have said the festival's organisers were notified of the ban and that the ban has been in force since 2022 and was adopted in the context of security measures decided in cooperation with intelligence services and international partners.