Liberals will march in motorcades to demand Russian troops pullback

Members and supporters of the Liberal Party (PL) on Sunday, October 5, will travel together across Moldova in convoys of cars to demand the withdrawal of Russian troops from Moldovan territory. The 'Caravan' will start Sunday morning from Chisinau's central square, Info-Prim Neo reports. PL president Mihai Ghimpu told a news conference today that 65 cars bearing flags and posters will travel along 13 routes to reach different district centers, where they will be met by Liberal members scattered throughout the country. The Caravan will return to Chisinau in the evening. At 7:00PM the participants will light candles outside the Russian Embassy. “We want to light a candle for everyone who suffered from Russian occupation”, the PL leader explained. According to Mihai Ghimpu, the Liberal Party organizes this action to “make citizens aware that the Russian army is the one that stole our past, the present and the future”. “It's an occupation army and it must go home, otherwise we could wake up one day to discover the Russian army in Chisinau”, said the PL president. Valeriu Munteanu, an organizer, says that the prolonged Russian military presence on Moldovan soil can produce serious consequences for the regional and European security. The Liberal Party believes that the Russian troops could some day be engaged in a direct military intervention against the Republic of Moldova, under the pretext of protecting the lives and the security of the Russian citizenship holders; the Transnistrian conflict could re-erupt, thwarting any chance of European integration for the Republic of Moldova. According to Valeriu Munteanu, in addition to the pullback, the Liberal Party demands the withdrawal of the armament, the replacement of the Russian peacekeepers with EU counterparts, inviting neighboring Romania into the setting of the negotiations, and acquiring NATO membership. The Liberal Party held a similar action in 2004, which involved 20 cars.