Russia has different possibilities of exerting pressure on Moldova before the signing of the Association Agreement with the EU. This accord increases the fissures in Moldovan society, but the people will convince themselves very quickly that the dangers are not real. At the same time, Moldova is lucky not be managed by persons who can change their minds on the last 100 meters before the signing of the Association Agreement, said participants in the debate “Moldovan-Ukrainian relations in new geopolitical and regional security conditions”, staged by IPN News Agency in partnership with Radio Moldova.
Head of the Center for Political Analysis and Consultancy “Politicon” Anatol Taranu said the weak points that could hamper the signing of the Association Agreement with the EU are evident, the separatist regime in Transnistria being the major one. Through the agency of the Transnistrian region, Moscow can cause different provocations in the country. Another weak point is the regions where there are precedents of separatism. Though it is obvious that Russia is not satisfied with the fact that Moldova associates itself with the EU, the authorities manage to keep the situation under control for now. The date of June 27, when the accord is to be signed, is not a final one and provocations are possible before its ratification.
Executive director of the Association for Participatory Democracy ADEPT Igor Botan considers that the signing of the Association Agreement will widen the fissures in Moldovan society, but the people will rapidly convince themselves that this agreement poses no threat to them. On the contrary, it is beneficial. “We are lagging behind a lot. The association with the EU will enable us to modernize swiftly the economy. If the people understand this, they will quickly realize what benefits they will enjoy. The situation until the elections will be yet tense,” he stated.
He added that the crisis in Ukraine should serve as a lesson for the Moldovan political forces, which must understand that the destabilization of the situation in connection with the signing of the accord is useless. “Our media outlets didn’t manage to convince the people that the association with the EU brings us relations similar to those existing within the CIS,” said Igor Botan.
Ukrainian Ambassador in Chisinau Serhii Pyrozhkov said that Moldova is lucky not to be managed by a person who during two years spoke about Ukraine’s European course and then stopped everything. The developments in Ukraine are a signal for Moldova and everyone should realize that something like this must not repeat. “However, the signing of the Association Agreement with the EU is not so important for Moldova than its implementation after the November 30 elections. If another, not pro-European government coalition is formed, a serious risk will appear,” he stated.
The debate “Moldovan-Ukrainian relations in new geopolitical and regional security conditions” is the 31st of the series of debates “Development of political culture in public debates” that are organized by IPN in concert Radio Moldova and with the support of the German foundation Hanns Seidel.
