Our fellow citizens who also hold Russian citizenship want to live peacefully, without being involved in wars, stated Deputy Prime Minister Nicu Popescu. According to him, since mobilization was announced in Russia, 1200 of our compatriots have sought travel documents from the Moldovan consular offices so they can return home. Nicu Popescu stressed that while Ukraine submitted an urgent application for NATO membership, the neutral status of our country is enshrined in the Constitution.
On September 30, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed Ukraine’s application for NATO membership. The decision was made after Russia illegally annexed the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporozhye and Kherson. Deputy Prime Minister Nicu Popescu says that the Republic of Moldova is not currently considering such a move.
“Our Constitution adopted in 1994 proclaims our country’s permanent neutrality. It’s a status that must be respected by any government as long as we have this Constitution. And there are no broad discussions on amending the current Constitution. At the same time, the Republic of Moldova must strengthen its defense system. We do this because neutrality does not mean demilitarization. On the contrary, neutral states need greater protection capabilities, because they have to protect themselves. For many years, countries like Sweden or Finland, until they decided to join NATO, had higher defense expenses than a good part of NATO member states”, said Nicu Popescu during a show on Vocea Basarabiei.
The deputy prime minister admitted that Moldova’s neutrality is being ignored by the Russian Federation, but he is confident that the Moldovan authorities will obtain a peaceful withdrawal of the Russian troops still stationed in Transnistria.
“We insist on the withdrawal of Russian troops from Moldovan territory. It is a defiance of our neutrality and security. The only method by which we will obtain the withdrawal of Russian troops is the method of dialogue. We need a modern army to protect our citizens from any kind of attack or challenge to our freedom and territorial integrity. Neutral states need a functional army”, said Nicu Popescu.
He added that there are no exact data on the number of Moldovan citizens who also hold Russian citizenship and who have been mobilized for the war. According to the deputy prime minister, in the last two weeks the number of our citizens returning home from the Russian Federation has increased considerably.
“We are a democratic country, people hold different views, but they all want peace. No one wants to fight, take up a rifle or a rocket launcher. We have many fellow citizens who have Russian citizenship. In recent weeks, the number of our citizens who suddenly want to leave the Russian Federation has increased considerably. We are talking about 1,200 people who applied for travel documents in the last two weeks. This clearly shows that all our fellow citizens want to live in a peaceful country. They don’t want to fight and be involved in wars”, said the deputy prime minister.
