The Russian Federation will not make considerable effort to stimulate the Eurasian integration of the Republic of Moldova after the presidential elections that will take place in Russia on March 18. According to Andrey Devyatkov, scientific researcher at the Post-Soviet Studies Center, said the Eurasian integration, with the attraction of such partners as Moldova, is disputable as the internal political situation in Moldova is not stable. Moldova is important for Russia only as a participant in the integration into the Commonwealth of Independent States.
In a press club meeting held by the Foreign Policy Association (APE) at IPN, the expert said it is now not about the advancing of the process of integration into the Eurasian Union, but about the keeping of the current integration level as there are now a number of contradictions inside the Eurasian Union, between the member states, over the price of gas or the food products. “The agenda until 2025 was set. The utmost development of integration will be manifested by creating common electricity, natural gas and pharmaceutical markets between the member states,” stated Andrey Devyatkov.
The expert said that Russia’s influence on the parliamentary elections in Moldova will not be significant because Moldova’s relationship with Russia is a frozen one. At the same time, Russia will show particular enthusiasm related to the parliamentary elections, but there will be no stakes. “I do not see super-attention or pressure on Moldova. We see that particular consensus on Russia was reached in Moldova. It is not about the development of the relations with Moldova or the exertion of pressure. It is about the return of Moldova’s ambassador to Moscow at least,” he noted.
In the context of the Russian presidential elections, Andrei Devyatkov said the largest part of Russia’s population see no alternative to the current President of Russia. Vladimir Putin’s messages of the last few weeks, that Russia is a powerful country that regained the status of world power, laying of emphasis on the people’s welfare and the country’s socioeconomic development, mobilized the Russian citizens’ interest in elections. Vladimir Putin does not have a worthy candidate in the presidential elections as a part of the running politicians are regarded as politicians of the 1990s or candidates with rather radical programs for the current Russian Federation.
The press club meeting was supported financially by the Open Society Foundations.
