Moldova can tend towards both EU and Russia-Belarus-Kazakhstan Customs Union, Vladimir Voronin

The Communist Party does not overlap the message concerning the entry into the Russia-Belarus-Kazakhstan Customs Union with that regarding the integration into the EU, the party’s leader Vladimir Voronin said. In an interview for Info-Prim Neo of the series “Year 2012 in Moldova’s and Moldovans’ life” {that was published on December 10, 2012}, he stated that Moldova can follow both of the ways as nobody bans it from doing this. “The European integration idea was put forward by us in 2002, when we were in power. In 2003, we signed the first Moldova – EU Action Plan, which included a broad program of activities in different areas for three years. We over-fulfilled this program during two years. Our results were appreciated and we received a grant of €17 million,” said Vladimir Voronin. On the other hand, the entry into the Russia-Belarus-Kazakhstan Customs Union has first of all a purely economic dimension. “We are well known in these countries. We can speak the same language – Russian. Where is the largest number of Moldovans working? In Russia, about 1 million people. There are many arguments for joining this union as soon as possible. We will have only positive results. It is an economic problem. We will have better results here than in the EU today as we see the profoundness of the crisis that hit the European Union, especially the region along the Mediterranean Sea, starting with Romania, Bulgaria and up to Portugal. We must not politicize this subject. The country must have an opening. Our goods are well-known and appreciated on the markets of these three states,” said Vladimir Voronin. The chairman of the PCRM also said that the issue should not be politicized. “There are no such restrictions. Don’t you see what relations some of the important EU member states, including Germany, have with Russia? What about the relations between Russia and France, and Italy? How many investments does Moscow attract? Are we the richest and the wisest to choose? We do not have what to choose from. We must be there where there is the country’s interest, not where one individual or other wants,” said Vladimir Voronin. This September, the Communist parliamentary group has submitted a bill to Parliament, suggesting holding a referendum on Moldovan joining the treaties on the constitution of the Eurasian Economic Community, the common customs area and the Customs Union on November 18, 2012. The series of interviews “Year 2012 in Moldova’s and Moldovans’ life” that was launched by Info-Prim Neo on December 6 was opened by Prime Minister Vlad Filat. The next interviews will contain opinions about the performance of the passing year stated by the Head of the OSCE Mission to Moldova Jennifer Brush, Minister of Economy Valeriu Lazar, Mayor of Chisinau Dorin Chirtoaca, Minister of Justice Oleg Efrim, Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry Vasile Bumacov, expert of the Association for Participatory Democracy ADEPT Corneliu Gurin, director of the National Anticorruption Center Viorel Chetraru, Deputy Representative of the United Nations Population Fund in Moldova Boris Galca, head of the Community of Moldovans in Quebec Ala Mandacanu, and singer Cristofor Aldea Teodorovici.