An eventual attack on the part of the Russian Federation on Ukraine from the Transnistrian region would be a fully unordinary scenario that the Moldovan authorities consider highly improbable, Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilița stated in the context of the worrisome news coming from Ukraine. The official said that if the conflict escalates, the foreign partners will offer the Republic of Moldova civil and financial assistance, IPN reports.
Premier Gavrilița said the authorities follow with concern the dissentions between the Russian Federation and Ukraine. Chisinau insists, by all the possible diplomatic ways, on the peaceful settlement of the conflict. A military conflict in the neighborhood of the Republic of Moldova would mean a delay in the reforms promised by the current government.
“We strongly believe that we need peace and stability in the region so that we could focus on internal reforms, on the improvement of our citizens’ wellbeing. We contribute as much as we can to the political and diplomatic resolution of this conflict. We have a number of hypothetical scenarios, depending on the developments. We have identified the risks and carried out assessments, analyses. We got ready for a number of scenarios, but they are hypothetical. The Government will intervene to diminish the risks depending on the developments,” Natalia Gavrilița stated in the program “In Depth” on ProTV Chisinau channel.
Premier Gavrilița said an attack on Ukraine on the part of the Russian armed forces that were illegally deployed in the Transnistrian region is not a credible scenario. There are no developments to point to such intentions on the left side of the Nistru. But such a scenario would be very serious as the Republic of Moldova is a neutral country. The authorities are ready to become involved in discussions and negotiations so that peace and stability are ensured in the region. In case of risks, the country can benefit from foreign civil protection and financial assistance.
The official noted that the halt in the supply of Russian gas via Ukraine is one of the major risks to which the Republic of Moldova can be exposed in case of war. However, now the country enjoys greater energy security.
“This is one of the scenarios we are taking into account. It is one of the risks. We have a valid contract. If the supply through Ukraine is interrupted, there are other methods by which we can obtain natural gas. Over the last few years, we have diversified the access ways and this is beneficial. The Iasi-Ungheni-Chisinau gas pipeline is functional. We can also obtain gas through a reverse flow regime from the southern districts,” stated Premier Gavrilița.
The tense situation in the region, the possible evolution of the crisis and the measures taken by the authorities to diminish the risks of eventual military actions in Ukraine were discussed in an online meeting of the President of the Republic of Moldova Maia Sandu and resident ambassadors of EU member states in Chisinau.
Also yesterday, the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky declared February 16 the National Day of Unity. It is anticipated that this is the day the Russian Federation will invade Ukraine.
