The relationship between Moldova and Russia has visibly worsened, and this can be seen in the unfriendly rhetoric of the Russian Foreign Ministry, said Natalia Stercul, executive director of the Foreign Policy Association, during an IPN debate on Wednesday. According to the foreign policy expert, Moldova’s decision to gradually leave the Commonwealth of Independent States must be pragmatic, based on a thorough analysis of the impact on the country’s economy.
Natalia Stercul says that in the field of foreign policy, Russia will not stop waging a war for supremacy with the West. However, the Kremlin’s actions may be influenced by the attitude of the Russian population, which would hardly tolerate a new wave of mobilization or a total international isolation.
“Everyone expected more from the Russian Federation, but that does not reduce the existing risks. First, because Russia has not yet used its full military potential in Ukraine. The subject of a new wave of mobilization in Russia influences the attitude of the population towards this war. As concerns public opinion, many intellectuals, educated people, left Russia, we are talking about people who represented a value for this country. The priorities of Russia’s foreign policy in relation to the West will continue through the lens of the struggle between the West and the East”, said Natalia Stercul.
According to the head of the APE, the Chisinau-Moscow relationship has visibly worsened since the start of the war in Ukraine. The Kremlin continues to use aggressive rhetoric in relation to Moldova, invoking the same false pretext used in Ukraine about the disrespect for the rights of Russian-speaking citizens.
“Russia’s attitude in relation to Moldova can be observed from the rhetoric of the representatives of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It is no secret that this rhetoric is not a friendly one. Contacts with the Russian Federation have been reduced, no high-level meetings are held. We see an intensification of national security issues, a tightening of border controls, bans on crossing the state border for entire categories of citizens, including Russian journalists, diplomatic employees. The rhetoric on the part of Russia is intensifying, both in Ukraine and in the Republic of Moldova regarding the alleged limitation of the rights of Russian-speaking citizens. This fact does not correspond to reality, because the rights of Russian speakers, as well as the rights of speakers of other languages, are respected. The war in Ukraine also started under this pretext”, said Natalia Stercul.
Natalia Stercul added that new ways of settling the Transnistrian dispute should be identified, as the war in Ukraine reduced the chances of the 5+2 format to zero. According to the expert, Chisinau’s decision to denounce some agreements signed with the CIS should be a pragmatic one, based on the country’s economic interests.
“The 5+2 format is on hold. It is hard to believe that Russia and Ukraine, states at war, will sit at the same table. Regarding the membership of the Commonwealth of Independent States, it is clear that the development vector of the Republic of Moldova is directed towards the European Union. The authorities clearly say that all efforts are focused on European integration, and a series of agreements with the CIS are to be denounced or revised, they are documents that no longer correspond to the reality and interests of the Republic of Moldova. I think there should be a pragmatic, balanced approach to the gradual exit from the CIS. It is necessary to analyze which agreements are important and which have lost their topicality”, Natalia Stercul said.
The debate was the 279th installment of IPN’s Political Culture Series, run with the support of the Hanns Seidel Foundation.
