On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the declaration of Moldova’s Independence, IPN News Agency decided to depict the portrait of the current Republic of Moldova. For the purpose, it provoked a number of people, including state officials, politicians, businessmen, civil rights activists and persons without posts and titles, but who have what to say. The generic picture is called “Thoughts about and for Moldova”.
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Victor Parlicov, ex-director of the National Agency for Energy Regulation: During 25 years, we could have probably achieved more. A child in 25 years becomes practically like a grownup. We are yet closer to adolescence. We are late in development and are retarded.
The vulnerabilities faced in the energy sector are the main vulnerabilities of the state and these undermine Moldova’s statehood. When you do not have alternative sources to provide the country with electric power in any situation, what kind of independence can we speak about? Energy expert and former director of the National Agency for Energy Regulation Victor Parlicov considers that Moldova is not yet independent after 25 years of Independence.
“When we have an unresolved conflict on the country’s territory and the energy infrastructure is inappropriate and we greatly depend on what the separatist region possesses, when all kinds of schemes related to the energy sector are hatched between the left and right sides of the Nistru River so as to keep the elites in Chisinau dependent on the perpetuation of the Transnistrian conflict, I don’t think we can speak about veritable independence,” stated the expert.
According to him, Moldova managed to do almost nothing in the energy sector during 25 years, with small exceptions. It remained vulnerable and dependent on the suppliers from the East, exactly how it was before the Independence.
As in the 1990s
The expert considers that the greatest accomplishment in the energy sector was achieved when Vladimir Voronin was President of Moldova, when the construction of the Tocuz-Mereni gas pipeline was forced. By this gas pipeline, the authorities of the Transnistrian region were deprived of the possibility of disconnecting the gas for Chisinau whenever they wanted. When this pipeline was built, Chisinau started to be supplied with gas directly from the transit gas pipeline. “But this is our only major accomplishment in the energy sector,” stated Victor Parlicov.
As regards the supply with electricity, the expert said that Moldova remains as vulnerable as in the 1990s. Six of the seven power lines through which Moldova is connected to the Ukrainian electrical energy system go through the Transnistrian region. Two stop there and do not cross the Nistru, while four are connected with the Dnestrovsk thermoelectric plant. Only one line of the seven can supply electric power to the right bank by bypassing the Transnistrian region. The capacity of this line is surely insufficient for supplying the whole Moldova with power.
To eliminate the energy dependence, society must know about these connections and possible intercalations with the Transnistrian conflict, our energy vulnerabilities and the corruption of the elites in Chisinau. “Only by the positive pressure of society, can we make our decision-makers, our elites, to take serious measures and start to work seriously and not to fuel us with statements, plants, strategies and all kinds of declarations without content,” stated Victor Parlicov.
Elites profited
According to the expert, the Transnistrian conflict, which is a black hole in the center of Europe from economic viewpoint, has been skillfully used firstly by Russia to corrupt the elites in Chisinau and to make so that these elites had financial benefits from the uncertain situation and unclear status of the Transnistrian region, through all kinds of schemes, contracts and economic ties. This way, a dependence of the elites in Chisinau on the perpetuation of this conflict was created.
Victor Parlicov said the elites of the start of the 1990s weren’t sufficiently mature to understand that we live in a new world where the Republic of Moldova is another state and where we must take care of our security, economy and own problems by ourselves. “There are proofs and references to the fact that the decisions taken by Chisinau at the beginning of the 1990s and afterward were coordinated in Moscow. And we swiftly got into a trap as our agenda and possibilities were limited by the external factor,” stated the ex-director.
The Republic of Moldova has never had self-government or self-management experience, from historical viewpoint. It was always managed by someone from outside. “If you look at our geopolitical speeches, you can see that their essence is not to solve our problems, but to bring someone from outside to solve them. Some say that we must bring someone from Moscow, others want someone from Brussels. Some say that Bucharest should assume responsibility for this territory. Not many discuss how we should learn to govern ourselves and to become attractive not only as a territory and geographical place on the map, but also as investors and partners and to become active abroad too,” said the expert.
Country abandoned by exceptional people
“I regret that this country was abandoned by a large number of exceptional people. I regret that this county, after 25 years of Independence, is not attractive at least to the own people and a large part of the young generation does not see a future in this country and intends to leave. It hurts me every time I hear that one more person or a friend make a permit of stay, opens a visa or emigrates to Canada or another country. It is a physical pain because I feel how the juices of life leave this country,” stated Victor Parlicov.
According to him, the people are those who build the country and if people hadn’t left, changes would have happened much faster because this mass of active, independent and energetic people with their own viewpoint and with a feeling of dignity would have forced the changes much swifter than those who remained. A large part of those who remained are children or elderly people and there are not many people who are interested in long-term changes. “This is probably the biggest regret related to the 25 years of Independence – people who left or plan to leave and people who do not intend to return,” he stated.
Victor Parlicov regrets that the social filters in the Republic of Moldova are set so that people of a high quality do not reach decision-making positions from which they can influence the development of this country. Regretfully, other kinds of persons, with much lower moral and intellectual standards, reach such positions. Moldova has been governed so that a part of those with high qualities left as they could not find possibilities of showcasing their talents in this county.
Victor Parlicov wants the Republic of Moldova to experience, for example, the problems of Germany, the UK or the Nordic states, when a lot of people come to the country and they must be selected somehow. He would like an attractive country to be built not only for us, but also for the most talented and exceptional people from all over the world.
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Victor Parlicov is an energy expert. He had managed the National Agency for Energy Regulation in 2010-2014. He works for the Institute for Development and Social Initiative “Viitorul”.
Anastasia Rusu, IPN
The articles of the series “Thoughts about and for Moldova” started to be published on July 18. Among the protagonists are: Dumitru Alaiba, Iurie Ciocan, Ana-Maria Tulea, Ion Manole, Olga Gagauz, Stella Ciobanu, Iurie Leanca, Arcadie Barbarosie, Nicolae Botgros, Igor Dodon, Eugen Doga, Ghenadie Galca, Iulia Iabanji, Petru Macovei, Igor Meriacre, Andrei Nastase, Mariana Onceanu Hadaca, Maia Sandu, and Valeria Seican.
