In the event of a danger similar to that in Ukraine, Moldova must find another ally than NATO, which didn’t meet Ukrainians’ expectations. Moldovan society should be preoccupied more with internal communication and solidarity. Such recommendations were formulated by Ukrainian experts Valeriy Kravchenko and Andriy Karakuts, of the Dontetsk National University, who were invited by the NATO Information and Documentation Center to a roundtable meeting titled “Crisis in Ukraine and its impact on the NATO Partnerships”, which was held in Chisinau, IPN reports.
Speaking about NATO’s contribution to resolving the conflicts in Ukraine, Valeriy Kravchenko criticized the Organization’s position. He said that NATO first of all takes care of the security of the member states and then, if it is convenient for it, it becomes involved or not. In the case of Ukraine, NATO justified Russia’s actions. “If Moldova faces a similar danger, it should not count on NATO, but should look for a worthy ally. We didn’t expect much from the EU or NATO, but I can say that Kiev was the first city to see bloodshed for the European principles and values,” he said.
According to the experts, Ukrainian society is disappointed with the West’s passivity to the conflicts between Ukraine and Russia. A recent sociological survey showed that the Ukrainian citizens have less confidence in the actions of NATO.
As to the lessons that Ukraine learned in this period, the experts said solidarity and communication between people are needed. “The spirits of the people must be monitored. An internal security strategy should be worked out and implemented successfully at national level. Communication is needed as society must be convinced that together the people are more powerful,” stated Andriy Karakuts.
The experts said conflicts and situations of violence between people permanently exist at the checkpoints on the border with Russia. “Provocations are daily caused at customs posts. The borders must be secured. Twenty years ago, nobody would have thought that Russia is our enemy. We thought that our enemies may be the Romanians, the Bulgarians or anybody else, except our Russian brothers. That’s why the borders of Ukraine are now week” said Valeriy Kravchenko.
The experts also said that Ukraine will never be as it was before these conflicts. They anticipated that the May 25 presidential elections will not take place in Luhansk and Donetsk because these territories are already under Russian occupation.
