Society should be able to impose the development course/country project on the government. This is not yet possible in the Republic of Moldova, where the representatives of the ethnic population, who represent 80% of the country’s population, divide themselves into Romanian and Moldovans and waste effort on arguments, political commentator Anatol Țăranu, Moldova’s ex-Ambassador to Russia, stated in a public debate hosted by IPN.
The expert said that Moldovan society is profoundly divided geopolitically and geo-strategically. The people are therefore confused in the current conditions of crisis. Paradoxically, the inert state of society suits the government. “A lot of people who are pro-European are considering whether to take to the streets or not. They are stopped by the acknowledgement of the fact that by protesting they will hit the pro-European idea and will help the forces that plead for another dimension,” he stated.
“The fact that the government formulates the idea of a “Snagov pact” is rather the expression of a wish than of a real possibility. In the Republic of Moldova, a “Snagov pact” on the European integration idea is impossible.”
According to Anatol Țăranu, all the polls, some of which are liked, while others are not liked, say that over 50% of those interviewed are in favor of the European integration. “Together with the start of the war in Ukraine, the number of those who plead for Eurasian integration decreased dramatically. But this does not change the number of supporters of the European integration and this is essential”.
The expert noted the native Moldovan Romanians who represent 80% of the population do not have an unambiguous attitude to the country’s civilizational orientation. Until things with these 80% are not clarified, the minorities can be removed from the equation. If the majority supports a “Snagov pact”, the minorities will have to comply.
The division “Romanian-Moldova” is another aspect even if the notions are concentric and do not exclude each other. “We should also not ignore the fact that “Romanian” means European by definition. It is hard to find people who would challenge the Republic of Moldova’s affiliation to the European space among the Romanians in the Republic of Moldova and vice versa. Among those who consider themselves Moldovans, the number of those who are “anti-Europeans” is rather high,” stated Anatol Țîranu.
“The conclusion is the following: the problem of unity in Moldovan society, including concerning the choice of the civilizational development model, depends on the affirmation of the authentic national identity. If this is ensured, the European integration course of the Republic of Moldova will become irreversible. Moldovan society will become Romanian, I mean the union with Romania, or this state of division will continue and the danger that the European integration course can be abandoned in favor of the Eurasian course will persist.”
The public debate entitled “Candidate status in times of cumulative, internal and external crises” was the 256th installment of IPN’s project “Developing Political Culture through Public Debates” that is supported by the Hanns Seidel Foundation.
