MAE says it had to postpone charity event owing to gas crisis

The European Action Movement (MAE) was forced to put off the charity drive “From Gift in Gift” scheduled for January 12-16 owing to the natural gas crisis. The statement was made by the party’s president Anatol Petrencu at a news conference held at Info-Prim Neo on January 12. Members and supporters of the movement collected funds and purchased school supplies, sports equipment, TV sets, stereo systems and other things that were to be donated to about 50 social institutions. “On the occasion of the winter holidays, we decided to send presents to boarding schools, orphanages and other residential institutions, but we cannot do this now given that the students’ holidays have been extended until January 15. As the Russian Federation disrupted the gas supply, we cannot carry out the activities that we planned long ago,” the MAE leader said. The rescheduled date of the event will be made known later. Speaking about the gas crisis, the MAE said that Russia found the occasion to take revenge on the West. “All the misunderstandings must be solved by talks, not blackmail or dictates,” Petrencu said. According to him, Russia’s tough policy is a proof of its weakness and what it does looks like terrorism against the socially-vulnerable groups of people. “Russia was against Georgia and Ukraine being accepted into NATO. The situation with Georgia was clarified in summer, when Russia not only launched military aggression against Georgia, but also recognized the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. With Ukraine, it is not as easy so Russia uses the gas issue for geo-strategic purposes,” said MP Ion Neagu, who is the vice president of the MAE. According to the MP, the things will return to normal when the West gives up advancing into the East. According to Igor Bercu, the vice president of the MAE, the gas crisis is favored by economic factors like the fact that Gazprom is in a financial crisis and tries to remedy the situation by raising the price of gas supplied to Ukraine. The MAE leaders are concerned about the Moldovan Government’s attitude towards the representatives of media outlets that reported on the gas crisis and about the official Chisinau’s position in this conflict. “Only Eu TV, NIT and Moldova 1 had been invited to the meeting of the National Commission for Emergencies. We consider this a biased position because the other mass media representatives were not allowed to report,” Igor Bercu said. The gas supply to Moldova was disrupted on January 6 following a dispute between Russia and Ukraine on the transit of Russian gas to the EU. Sixteen villages in Stefan Voda, Causeni, Anenii Noi and Dubasari districts still lack natural gas.