Ex-Premier Ion Sturza said the decision to declare the Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin undesirable in Moldova is a calculated and assumed one and is not only an emotional answer to statements made by Rogozin about particular political leaders from Chisinau. In an interview for Radio Free Europe, the ex-Premier said that from the very beginning the Government of Moldova should have been very clear in its intentions as to Rogozin’s visit and the festivities in Transnistria, which represented defiance of Moldovans and their historical memory, IPN reports.
“The ambiguity and even cowardice of the Moldovan authorities – either this should come or not and the use of Romania as an instrument for preventing Rogozin from coming to Chisinau – were interpreted with reserve in Romania and outside. Now this slightly late decision came and this can be interpreted somewhat differently than the first reaction of the public opinion in Chisinau,” said Ion Sturza.
The former Premier said the red thread of this dispute of several months is actually a personal revenge of Vlad Plahotniuc against the Russian authorities that tried to put him on the list of Interpol for being followed. Since then this dialogue escalated, probably against the will of some of the Moldovan officials.
Ion Sturza also said that we should now be very sure that rather painful measures will follow the cold war between the Government of Moldova and the Government of Russia, not against the Moldovan state, but against particular persons. Now the paradigm of the Moldovan-Russian relations has changed.
As to the meeting of Igor Dodon and Dmitry Rogozin, which is to be held in Teheran, Ion Sturza said this is no longer so important. “I don’t think there will be a discussion with a lot of meaning or consensus as Dodon will anyway get a ‘must to do’ list as they say in business. He will return home and will try to employ PR and propaganda around these cases,” he stated, noting that the largest part of the population looks with indifference or with some concern to these events. Ion Sturza said he does not think this meeting will bring many benefits in the struggle for votes in Moldova.
The Cabinet on August 2 approved a decision on the imposition of restrictive measures whereby the Deputy Prime Minister of Russia Dmitry Rogozin was declared undesirable on Moldova’s territory. According to Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration Andrei Galbur, Rogozin made a number of public statements that are unfriendly, denigrating and offensive to Moldova and its people. He also made statements insulting the Moldovan authorities.
