Goebbels-like mass media center discredits UCM, Vasile Tarlev

Vasile Tarlev, the president of the Centrist Union of Moldova (UCM), said that a Goebbels-like mass media center headed by presidential adviser Mark Tkachuk exists in Moldova. He referred to Paul Joseph Goebbels, one of the closest associates and most devout followers of Adolph Hitler. According to Tarlev, one of the tasks of this center is to disseminate lies about the party that he heads, Info-Prim Neo reports. At a news conference on March 16, the former Prime Minister said there are at least ten major topics on the UCM that the media outlets controlled by Tkachuk distort. However, Tarlev said that he would not sue the media institutions that misinform the electorate about the UCM. An electoral lie fabricated by the Goebbels-like center is the lack of support for the UCM on the territory of the Autonomous Territorial Unit of Gagauzia, Vasile Tarlev said. The origin of this myth resides in the fact that the ruling party is frustrated that it loses the Gagauz electorate in favor of the UCM. “Some election contenders (PCRM – e.n.) cannot accept that they lost most of the electorate in Gagauzia,” the UCM president said. Another untruth, according to Tarlev, is the insinuation that the Social-Political Movement “Ravnopravie” and the Congress of Russian Communities of Moldova do not support the UCM anymore, the dismissal of Valeriu Climenco (number 7 on the electoral list of the UCM – e.n.) from the above-mentioned organizations being a proof. “Climenco was, remains and will be the leader of these movements, from official or unofficial positions,” the new president of “Ravnopravie” Boris Sapalov said vehemently. As to the Goebbels-like lies about the international relations promoted by the Centrist Union of Moldova, Tarlev expressed his dissatisfaction with the fact that some media outlets report that the UCM is against the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and against Romania. “We have special relations with the neighboring countries Romania and Ukraine as well as strategic relations with Russia, the CIS and the European Union,” Tarlev said. To support his assertions, the former Prime Minister said that the UCM and the Moscow organization of United Russia Party headed by the Russian Premier Vladimir Putin signed a memorandum. As regards Romania, Tarlev said that the UCM leaders paid recently a visit to Bucharest to discuss a cooperation agreement with the Democratic Liberal Party, which is headed by Romania’s Prime Minister Emil Boc. According to the UCM president, the stronger relations with the CIS will not hinder Moldova from following the path to European integration At the same conference, Vasile Tarlev described the deficient management of the foreign exchange reserves of the central bank during crisis conditions as a crime. “It is a crime and somebody will have to answer for this. The persons to blame are certain ideologists of the ruling party,” Tarlev said.