The legislative initiative of the Party of Communists (PCRM) to give the status of national-cultural district to Taraclia generates new controversy in Moldova before a new administrative-territorial reform. By coincidence, a project appeared in Odessa region of the neighboring country by which pro-Kremlin initiators intend to obtain the status of cultural-national autonomous region for Bessarabia. In an interview for Radio Free Europe, political commentator Nicolae Negru said attempts are made to destabilize the situation in Moldova and Ukraine and the bill proposed by the PCRM was actually drafted by the secret services of a state that does not want peace to exist in the two countries, IPN reports.
“I also tried to find out what this status of national-cultural district means. I studied attentively the bill submitted by the Communist faction and found no reference to what will change when Taraclia becomes national-cultural district. What will change at national-cultural level? What will the Bulgarians from this district, who represent 65% of its population, get additionally? Nothing is said there about this and about the reasons why this bill should be passed,” stated the commentator.
Nicolae Negru noted the paradox is that the authorities of Taraclia district say they are satisfied with the protection they enjoy now and with the fact that they have a university in a town with about 15,000 people. “Surely, these things are financed with money from the state budget. Moldova guarantees Bulgarians’ rights through the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities. Under Moldova’s legislation, these can use the Bulgarian language in administration. There are no problems there. This district with special status cannot give them more than now. Another goal is in fact pursued. They want to guarantee not the national-cultural rights but rather reforms that would divide Moldova at administrative-territorial level,” he stated.
According to the political commentator, Taraclia actually does not want to be included in another territorial-administrative unit in the event of a reform. “It is strange as, if we follow this principle and form territorial-administrative reforms according to ethnical principles, we will fragment Moldova. Others will also want to have their own cultural districts. For example, we have northern districts that are mainly inhabited by Ukrainians. This is not a viable principle,” said Nicolae Negru, adding that the authors of the bill probably want to obtain electoral, political dividends.
Asked about the new project created in Ukraine – the People’s Rada of Bessarabia, which claims that Bessarabia has the right to self-determination, Nicolae Negru said the synchronization of this project with the bill passed in Moldova’s Parliament is strange and this should be a reason for concern for the MPs who, probably for selfish party reasons, are trying to contribute to a project that may come from the FSB or from a state that wants to destabilize the situation and that is said to be ready to attack Moldova.
The bill that gives the districts the right to get the status of national-cultural district was passed in Parliament in the first reading. The Liberal faction harshly criticized this bill, saying attempts are made to create a new hotbed of instability in the country.
