Dumitru Alaiba, MP of the group of the Action and Solidarity Party of the ACUM bloc, said the foreign policy should be based on the people’s interests, not vice versa. He doubts that the current Government can ensure balanced relations with everyone as it made sufficient efforts to isolate itself. He stated his opinions in a public debate entitled “Balanced foreign policy: capacities, advantages, risks” that was staged by IPN News Agency and Radio Moldova.
“It is not true that attempts to pursue an unbalanced foreign policy were made a month ago as the Government of Maia Sandu made effort for our country to have good relations with all the partners. I will dare to add that a balanced policy does not necessarily mean 50 to 50,” he said, noting the figures concerning Moldova’s exports should be taken into account when speaking about the foreign policy and these show that about 70% of the exports are oriented to the EU, while less than 20% to Russia.
The MP said the current Government isolates itself. “It made effort to have particular relations with Russia, but we do not see the efforts needed to maintain and promote the interests of our entrepreneurs in the West, the European Union as even the entrepreneurs from the Transnistrian region realized that there is their future and there is their business potential. Why should we deny what the people clearly prove by figures produced by the National Bureau of Statistics,” stated Dumitru Alaiba. According to him, necessary discussions on the issue weren’t held and a series of opportunities in this regard were missed.
Replying to Socialist MP Alexandr Nesterovskii’s assertion that Moldova developed best when it didn’t cooperate with the IMF, Dumitru Alaiba said the IMF comes to countries that are in a precarious economic and macro-financial condition. “That’s why the success in ensuring a stable economy is indeed limited, but primarily owing to the irresponsible politicians from here. Nevertheless, there are such countries as Ireland and Latvia that were helped by the IMF to overcome the crisis,” noted the MP.
He expressed his skepticism at the possibility of Russia providing a loan to Moldova in the near future. According to him, Russia’s foreign assistance totals slightly over US$ 1 billion and it is highly improbable that Russia would cut the budgets of other recipients of financing for directing half of the sum to Moldova. “We do not know the lending conditions, the repayment period and if the interest rates are preferential. Most probably, this loan is not convenient for us. We can get such loans under preferential conditions from somewhere else,” he stated, noting it is not right to say that the country is begging. “The money coming from the West is provided for doing reforms and the goal of the elected officials is to do reforms. That’s why the foreign assistance should be subject to conditionality.”
The PAS MP considers a balanced foreign policy should be aimed at increasing the wellbeing of the people, at bringing the migrants home, etc. But the foreign policy in Moldova is the expression of the indecision of a lot of politicians who probably do not have the vision needed to understand what they actually want to do.”
The debate titled “Balanced foreign policy: capacities, advantages, risks” was the 122nd installment of the series of debates “Developing political culture through public debates” that is supported by the German foundation Hanns Seidel.
