The permanent change of the political vector led to stagnation in Moldova, the leader of the Liberal Democratic Party (PLDM) Vlad Filat said in the program “Politics” on TV7 channel, IPN reports.

“After the proclamation of independence, the foreign policy course of Moldova had been permanently changed either to the East or to the West. Afterward, many years of stagnation usually followed,” said Vlad Filat. According to him, the former Communist power also changed the political vector, which had been pro-European, not only once, and was ultimately changed to satisfy the narrow party interests.

The Liberal-Democratic leader said that this led to the slow implementation of reforms in Moldova, including those concerning corruption fighting. “We should not forget that we are a young state. All the changes and hesitations of the past had an impact and generated stagnation,” he stated.

Asked what reform done in Moldova he can be proud of, Vlad Filat said there is a whole package of reforms that led to the liberalization of the visa regime and Moldova’s association to the EU. He risked his image when he promoted reforms that weren’t understood by society. Currently, the PLDM is actively involved in the reformation of the education system as this reform is in parts more difficult than the legal system reform.

The leader of the PLDM is optimistic that the Association Agreement with the EU will help Moldova to successfully implement reforms, especially owing to the financing and strict monitoring by the EU.

Asked to comment on the Communist MPs’ refusal to take part in the procedure for ratifying the Association Agreement, Vlad Filat said they behaved cowardly, but he is hopeful that things will change. “I hope the Communists and others will renounce the speculative policy that is full of lies and will focus on Moldova’s modernization,” he stated.

In the same program, Vlad Filat noted that he is the target of a broad denigration campaign, but refused to give names. According to him, the authors of this campaign aim to spoil his relations with Prime Minister Iurie Leanca. “Mister Leanca does his job not well, but excellently. They can do what they want, but will not manage to make us enemies. Together with Iurie Leanca, we went through difficult periods and set objectives that we want to achieve,” he said.

He denied the press reports that he bought a house for €2 million. He said he rents that house because he wants to build one. He expressed his regret at the behavior of journalists as they avoided asking him before publishing rumors or making inquiries at the cadastral service.