President Nicolae Timofti said there are considerable risks threatening Moldova’s security and a solution to ensure its security is to come closer and to cooperate with NATO. In an interview for the Ukrainian news agency Ukrinform, quoted by IPN, the head of state said Moldova should take into account the example of the former-Soviet Baltic countries that joined NATO and are safe now given that the Alliance envisions collective defense in case of an armed attack.
“As head of state, I follow the provisions of the Constitution. The Supreme Law adopted in 1994 stipulates that Moldova is a neutral state that does not conclude military pacts and alliances and does not allow the deployment of foreign troops on its territory. I think the authors of the Constitution and the MPs made a mistake when they introduced this provision given that a part of our territory at that time was occupied by foreign military forces,” said Nicolae Timofti.
According to him, the developments in the region showed that this provision should be reviewed and the Constitution should be adjusted to the realities of the always changing world. The presence of the 14th army of Russia in Moldova’s Transnistrian region is a flagrant violation of the country’s status of neutrality enshrined in the Constitution.
As to the Transnistrian conflict, the head of state said Moldova’s reunification is a strategic priority for the Moldovan authorities. A viable solution should be based on the observance of the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. “We are open for a reasonable compromise for providing a special status to the region within Moldova, which would offer the Transnistrians a comfortable and guaranteed self-government level in different areas of life. A law to this effect was adopted by Parliament in 2005,” stated Nicolae Timofti, noting that the Transnistrian conflict settlement mechanism in the 5+2 format, which involves international players, turned out to be inefficient and should be thus improved.
As regards the European course, the head of state said the Moldovan authorities initiated policies to modernize and develop the country and this is possible only by implementing the EU standards that proved their efficiency by ensuring high living conditions for the people in the EU. There is no alternative to this path.
Asked about the recent Governor elections held in Gagauzia and Russia’s interference in the electoral process, Nicolae Timofti said the interference of other states in Moldova’s internal affairs cannot be tolerated. “We understand that the Russian emissaries pursue other goals in the elections in Gagauzia, namely to raise again the issue of Moldova’s federalization – an initiative called the Kozak Memorandum that failed in 2004. As head of state and as a guarantor of the sovereignty, national independence and the country’s unity and territorial integrity, I will take the necessary measures for the Supreme Law to be respected,” said the head of state.
