Oleg Serebrian hopes Sochi meeting of Moldovan, Russian presidents is not beginning of Moldova's capitulation

The president of the European Movement from Moldova (EMM), Oleg Serebrian, hopes the meeting in Sochi between the presidents of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Moldova is not the beginning for Moldova's capitulation, accepting doubtful scenarios for the settlement of the Transnistrian conflict, or even worse -- for Moldova. Serebrian says resuming the dialog with Moscow is a good step, but it's worrying that the Russian president warned his counterpart on “drawing lessons” from the conflict in South Ossetia. At a news conference on Tuesday, August 26, Oleg Serebrian has said he hoped after the dialog in Sochi, the Moldovan leadership will not yield to Moscow's pressures, because this issue is not related only to the political interest of a political party, of a group of people, but to the national interest. He says president Vladimir Voronin, being near Georgia, some 200 km from Tbilisi, should also have visited Mikheil Saakashvili, who came to Chisinau in February 2005 to back Voronin “in time of need.” That visit would have sent a clear signal that Moldova is not leading dialogs to Georgia's detriment. “Georgia's problem envisages us, too, here we cannot play with our neutrality,” Oleg Serebrian said. The press conference was occasioned by Monday's decision by the Russian parliament to ask Medvedev to recognize the independence of the two areas of Georgia, South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Serebrian says the decision will have repercussions not only in Georgia, but in the Black Sea area, too. At the same time, also Russia, which has big problems in Chechnya, Tatarstan etc., faces problems identical with the ones from Georgia, and will feel the consequences of this decision. Serebrian hopes Dmitry Medvedev will make the right decision, because a mistaken step will have a boomerang effect. Oleg Serebrian says, in two weeks, in Brussels, the Extraordinary Congress of the Internationale of the European Movement will take place and its status will be discussed. The European Movement from Moldova put up the proposal to stage a march of solidarity with the Georgian people on Saturday, September 13, to be joined by delegates from different countries and europarliamentarians.