A number of Moldovan civil society organizations staged a demonstration in Chisinau to show solidarity with the people of Ukraine and to support the territorial integrity of this country. The event started with laying of flowers and lighting of candles at the Embassy of Ukraine in Chisinau, in memory of the Ukrainians killed in the military conflict during the last six months. Afterward, the participants mounted a match to the Embassy of Russia.
Executive director of the Association for Participatory Democracy (ADEPT) Igor Botan has told IPN that the major goal of the event is to sensitize the public opinion. “The public opinion must take into account the fact that a very dangerous conflict is developing in the region where our country is situated. This conflict endangers the territorial integrity and stability of Ukraine. We are concerned about the fate of Ukraine as well as about the consequences for our country. It’s normal for the Moldovan citizens to make common cause with the citizens of Ukraine so that we make effort to stabilize the situation by a normal dialogue,” he stated.
According to Igor Botan, the Moldovan authorities adopted an appropriate attitude to the situation in the region and made gestures to show their solidarity with Ukraine. “Moldova will take the next step at the UN General Assembly that is usually held in September. Most probably, the Ukrainian issue will be the focus of attention there and the Moldovan authorities must make again common cause with the international public opinion over the situation in Ukraine there,” he said.
As to the possibility of Moldova joining NATO, he noted that the Moldovan authorities can state anything, but there are certain requirements towards the countries that want to join this organization. They must control their territory and must not have foreign forces on the territory. It’s not about political will, but about Moldova’s capacity to become a member of such an organization.
Transparency International Moldova director Lilia Carasciuc said that by laying flowers and lighting candles, the representatives of civil society rendered homage to the persons who died when defending the independence and integrity of Ukraine.
The members of the National Platform of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum, which organized the event, submitted a statement on the position of the Moldovan NGOs concerning the situation in Ukraine to the Embassy of Russia. “We filed a similar statement in May, but achieved no result. It seems to me that the statement of Russian President Vladimir Putin to start a process of conciliation coincided with the NATO Summit and was made only with the aim of distracting attention from the situation in Ukraine,” stated Lilia Carasciuc.
Executive director of the Independent Press Association Petru Macovei said that for the Moldovan people it’s clear that Ukraine became the target of Russia’s attempt to extend its influence and to try to Transnistrianize Ukraine, or more exactly, its eastern region, by the model implemented in Moldova in 1992. “It’s a war in which hundreds of people are killed and tens of thousands are injured. Hundreds of thousands had to leave their homes and find refuge far from the war,” he stated, adding that it is also a informational war in which the Russian media outlets manipulate and misinform, including on Moldova’s territory, and this thing should be brought to an end.
