The Western funds intended for the Autonomous Territorial Unit of Gagauzia should be offered depending on the level of the Gagauz people’s loyalty to the European values, said political commentator Anatol Țăranu. According to him, the government in Chisinau should change the approach towards the Gagauz region, while the assistance offered from outside should be offered on particular conditions. For his part, ex-MP Alecu Reniță said the European integration of the Republic of Moldova can take place only after clearing the state institutions of persons who are obedient to Moscow and by protecting the information space from the Russian propaganda, IPN reports.
Former MP Alecu Reniță noted that Russia didn’t lose its interest in the Republic of Moldova and further wants to maintain the state in its sphere of influence. Cultivating Euroskepticism among the population is one of the policies pursued by the Kremlin to block Moldova’s European course.
“We will not win as long as there are persons who work for the Russian Federation in state institutions. Our population will remain indoctrinated and intoxicated by Russian lies as long as the media outlets that are paid by Russia directly or indirectly fuel the nostalgia for the Soviet Union. But the cultivation of Euroskepticism is the worst that can happen. Russia wants to make us anti-Europeans, in the same way as it did us anti-Romanians. Romanophobia is a phenomenon that was launched and fueled by Russia. All the negotiations that Bessarabia, historical Moldova, the Romanian nation in general had were tied to the Tsarist Empire, the Soviet Empire and are now tied to the Kremlin’s domination over the Republic of Moldova,” Alecu Reniță stated in the program “Emphasis on Today” on TVR Moldova channel.
Political pundit Anatol Țăranu said the results of the first round of the Bashkan election in Gagauzia confirmed the Kremlin’s domination over the collective mentality in the territorial-administrative unit. To change Gagauz people’ perceptions of the EU, the authorities should pursue a well-planned information policy and should impose conditions for providing Western financial assistance.
“Gagauzia received enormous assistance and not from Russia. Russia invested only in targeted programs that cover the mass media. The world has changed, while Gagauzia got stuck in its history. This turns Gagauzia into a big problem of the Republic of Moldova. There is a remedy that can be applied in the case of Gagauzia. All the assistance that comes should be provided depending on the loyalty shown by the Gagauz people to the European course of the Republic of Moldova. These citizens should realize that all the assistance that comes from the West is based on particular values. Why should they benefit from this assistance? An intelligent policy aimed at cultivating this loyalty to the European values can make them realize that Europe comes with wellbeing and not Russia brings wellbeing. Romania repaired all the kindergartens in Gagauzia, while Russia renovated only one kindergarten there and this way equaled all the support offered by Romania” stated Anatol Țăranu.
Over the past ten years, more than €40 million of the European funds went to Gagauz for implementing different projects to develop the region. Despite the massive European support intended for the region’s inhabitants, pro-Kremlin candidates who promote close relations with Russia qualified for the runoff vote to elect the governor of the region.
