The European integration is the optimal development vector for Moldova, but this option must not be promoted as an anti-Russia project. The pro-Western parties should understand that the European integration must be an idea about which there is national consensus, not an idea that deepens divisions in society, said invitees to the debate “Why does the electoral behavior of the Coalition count for the country’s European future?” that was staged by IPN News Agency.
The project’s permanent expert Igor Botan, director of the Association for Participatory Democracy (ADEPT), noted that the European integration process in Moldova is not aimed against Russia. “We wanted to balance the integration level we had in the CIS with the integration level on the European dimension and to offer more opportunities to the Moldovan people and economic entities, including our partners from Russia. I think these things must be explained to the people and we will see that despite the scandals that accompanied the current government and the difficult regional context, approaches and words can be identified to calm the people down and to reach a consensus.
“Our country managed to establish good relations with Ukraine, the United States, Turkey, Israel and other countries. We hope to reestablish the relations with Russia so as to solve the people’s problems. I think this should be the message when the opposition between the two vectors diminishes,” said Igor Botan, adding that the political players are rational and, unlike the ordinary voters, know what goals they pursue.
The leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of Moldova Vlad Filat shared the expert’s opinion. “It should be emphasized that the European integration process is not against someone. This process is for Moldova and its people,” he said. In this connection, he referred to the statements made by the President of Belarus Alexadnr Lukashenko during his visit to Moldova. “It’s strange when the president of a country that is a member of the Customs Union – one of the founders of this organization – comes to Chisinau and says that you made a correct choice and should continue this road,” said Vlad Filat.
“I don’t think that when a number of parties speak about the European integration, they do it in opposition as, in countries that followed the European road, left- or right-wing parties with different ideologies didn’t meet with barriers in the relations between them when pursuing one common goal. There was always a national pact: they competed based on ideologies and approaches, but acted concertedly in what referred to the European integration. I hope the European integration will become not a debate problem, but a problem on which we will work in concert.”
Vlad Filat underlined that the European integration process reached the level when it must turn from an elitist process into a process that involves the whole society, both in terms of thinking and in terms of action.
The leaders of the other two parties of the Pro-European Coalition – the Democratic Party of Moldova and the Liberal Reformist Party – were also invited to the debate “Why does the electoral behavior of the Coalition count for the country’s European future?”
The debate of September 26 is the 33rd of the series of public debates “Development of political culture in public debates”. IPN Agency has conducted these debates the third year with the support of the Hanns Seidel Foundation and in cooperation with Radio Moldova.
