Tarlev says he is supported by Putin's party

Vasile Tarlev, the president of the Centrist Union of Moldova (UCM), says that the United Russia (“Yedinaya Rossiya”) party headed by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is supporting him in the election campaign. Moldova’s former premier told a news conference on March 3 that he signed a cooperation accord with the political team of Yuri Lujkov (the co-president of the party’s Supreme Council) – the Moscow organization of United Russia, Info-Prim Neo reports. Tarlev said that the cooperation agreement with United Russia is being finalized. The UCM president said that talks are also being held with two political parties from Romania – the Social Democratic Party (PSD) headed by Mircea Geoana and the Democratic Liberal Party (PD-L), which is led by Romania’s Prime Minister Emil Boc and supported by the President of Romania Traian Basescu. “We are now holding discussions. We hope that we will sign an agreement with at least one of these parties,” Vasile Tarlev said. He also said that they signed a cooperation agreement with Ukraine’s Party of Regions headed by the former premier of Ukraine Victor Yanukovich, and will cooperate with the ruling party of Turkey. Vasile Tarlev said that he aims to transform Moldova into a ‘belt’ of state-friends, a communication bridge between the East and the West. He expressed his confidence he would achieve very good results in the April 5 elections. ”We struggle not to enter the Parliament, but to obtain a majority,” the president of the Centrist Union said. The Centrist Union of Moldova pleads for stronger economic relations and cultural cooperation with the member states of the Commonwealth of Independent States and for Moldova to become an associate member of the EU. Another priority of the party is to develop the economic, social, human and political relations with the Russian Federation.