Vladimir Voronin says he will seek other levers to deal with Romania

Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin stated that he will use other levers in the future to settle the relations with Romania, including the involvement of the European Union. “We are not dealing simply with Romania, but with the EU, whose member it is. We should and we will raise the issues on this matter to a European problem, rather than simply showing it as a quarrel between two individuals over the fence”, said Vladimir Voronin on Friday, November 30, in a TV show. The head of state mentioned that he was previously of the opinion that after Romania’s accession to the EU, many of the disputes with the neighbouring country would naturally disappear, since Romania – as a EU state now – will “play by EU rules, especially those concerning Moldova, which automatically received the status of a EU neighbour country”. “All the actions and statements of the neighbouring country were immediate reactions. Had they been well thought, Romania wouldn’t have allowed itself to make them, at least because of the fact that it reached European standards but also for the sake of learning the lesson of history – when it joined the Fascist Germany. These lessons were not learned, and this leaves us unable to hope Romania that it will regain its consciousness and will think differently about Moldova. We are going to look for other arguments and other methods of resolving these problems”, said Voronin. The head of state accused Romania that even though it declared itself as an advocate of Moldova in the process of European integration, it didn’t vote for granting Moldova autonomous preferences in the commercial-economic relationships with EU. Another blame launched by the President is that Romania is not actually interested in resolving the Transnistrian conflict. Vladimir Voronin invoked the fact that Bucharest officials are making declarations concerning the unification of Romanians from both banks of the Prut River, exactly in the moment when Moldova is approaching the final talks on the Transnistrian problem. These efforts are therefore compromised. Concerning the declaration about a potential unification with Romania within the EU borders, Vladimir Voronin said that it is unrealistic, these declarations being so ungrounded and stupid that they don’t stand any criticism. “No country has united with another one after the accession to the EU; it will never be doable. Moldova existed for 650 years and will exist for at least another 6500”. Voronin also criticized the Romanian Ministry of Justice for the fact that it didn’t register the Association of Moldovans in Romania, as well as the Iasi Judicial Court for refusing the same Association explaining that such an ethnicity doesn’t exist. The President mentioned that these actions also come to a contradiction with EU standards which ascertain that the only rule in this case is that the citizens can identify themselves as they wish. “This is indeed a problem, and the EU should ask itself whom did it gave its membership and for what: to strengthen the EU or to break it with such nationalistic actions”.