Russia’s Ambassador to the Republic of Moldova Oleg Vasnetsov should be invited to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration to provide explanations over Russian senator Alexey Pushkov’ assertion that the Republic of Moldova could end up in the ash heap of history, considers the acting president of the Party “Dignity and Truth Platform” Dinu Plîngău. For their part, representatives of the government said that given the tense situation in the region, the state of spirit in society should not be heated up. However, Deputy Speaker of Parliament Mihai Popșoi said all those who disobey the law and will ostentatiously promote the banned military symbols will be fined without any exception, IPN reports.
On Wednesday, Russian senator Alexey Pushkov threatened President Maia Sandu that the Republic of Moldova could end up “in the ash heap of history”. The statement was made in the context of the promulgation by President Sandu of the law that bans the use of the symbols of the Russian military aggression. The representative of the Party “Dignity and Truth Platform” said such statements cannot be tolerated, while the Russian ambassador should provide explanations.
“The Ambassador of the Russian Federation should be invited to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration to provide explanations and say if this statement is the official position of the Russian Federation or is a simple political statement of a parliamentarian. The situation is very tense all over the region and it is important to remain calm. We don’t know how long this war will last and we all want it to end faster. But the authorities in Chisinau should realize that the threats to the Republic of Moldova’s security do not depend on the docility of those from Chisinau. If the Kremlin has intentions to invade the Republic of Moldova, it will not take our docility or silence into account,” Dinu Plîngău stated in the talk show “Secrets of the Power” on JurnalTV channel.
For their part, the representatives of the government urged calmness and said that any action that can destabilize the situation should be avoided. Deputy Speaker Mihai Popșoi said the police will monitor how the law that bans the use of symbols of military aggression is obeyed, but the police will not use force to generate tensions, but will impose fines after thoroughly documenting each case apart.
“A protest was mounted next to the Parliament Building, but those who protested didn’t come with the banned symbols as they knew they can be fined. The law started to be implemented. Those who will dare to break the law will have to pay from their own pockets. There is also the experience of the European Union where the police during mass rallies do not intervene, but behave politely, but the persons or legal entities that organized the event are later identified and fined. We also aim to act like this. The ribbon was outlawed in Georgia after the war of 2008 and in Ukraine after the war of 2014. Don‘t those who promote these military symbols want “the liberators” to come to the Republic of Moldova too?” wondered Mihai Popșoi.
Late yesterday evening, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration’s spokesman Daniel Vodă issued a comment on the issue, saying that “given the unacceptable language used with reference to the President by the official representative of the Russian diplomatic service, the Ministry ordered to summon the Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Moldova Oleg Vasnetsov.
“We recommend the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation to take note of President Maia Sandu’s speech that is available in Russian and that does not leave room for interpretations: “I want to underline that no one is banned from celebrating the May 9 holiday. On the contrary, we are obliged to remember the victory of civilization against Fascism and Nazism. We are obliged to remember the dead and keep alive the memory of the main tragedy of the 20th century - Word War II”.
The law that bans the use of military symbols was published in the Official Gazette on April 20. It bans the making, promotion and spreading of the ribbon of Saint George and letters “Z” and “V” that are used as distinctive signs of the Russian army in the war against Ukraine.
