The Republic of Moldova tried to promote its agenda on the agenda of global players. This is the main merit of the participation by Deputy Prime Minister Nicu Popescu, Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, in the G7 Summit that took place last weekend as Moldova until now was discussed only in the European context and formats, IPN’s senior contributor Dionis Cenușa, a political scientist, researcher at the Institute of Political Science at Justus Liebig University in Giessen, stated in a public debate on the issue hosted by IPN News Agency.
The expert said Nicu Popescu’s and Moldova’s participation in the G7 discussions internationalized the case of the Republic of Moldova and showed to the international public where the Republic of Moldova is on the world map and what problems Moldova faces at the moment.
“The authorities in Chisinau try to learn on the way how to manage a number of crises taking place in parallel. We should not forget that the Republic of Moldova faces not only the refugee crisis, but also unsolved territorial conflicts. There are problematic regions, like the Gagauz Autonomous Unit that does not have a constructive dialogue based on credibility with the central authorities. Not only the Transnistrian region is a problematic area. If we speak about the imminent risks related to national defense and military aspects, for the Republic of Moldova the current situation is one that the authorities should learn to overcome as swiftly and as efficiently as possible with the minimum resources they have so as not to lose legitimacy at home when solving the problems. The authorities will not cope with the crises if they do not enjoy public support. To enjoy public support, there should be strategic communication,” stated Dionis Cenușa.
The researcher noted that the socioeconomic situation in the Republic of Moldova is rather worrisome. It goes to the rate of inflation that the government cannot control and that is one of the highest in Europe and to the risks related to the attempts to destabilize the Transnistrian region where there are factors controlled by the separatist authorities or, directly, by interest groups in Moscow, which aim to worsen the situation in Moldova and to generate uncertainty and panic among Ukrainian decision makers.
“What is happening in the Transnistrian region refers not only to the Republic of Moldova, but also to Ukraine. The interest is to assess the reactions of Chisinau and Kyiv and of the European authorities in case of a military attack that the Russian Federation can orchestrate through its military presence in the Transnistrian region. If the Republic of Moldova holds interest for the international public and for decision makers of the G7 countries, the Republic of Moldova not only can easier obtain particular funds, as a lot of promises as to financial assistance were made, but this money should also come faster and there should be a reaction mechanism at international level. The Republic of Moldova’s participation in the G7 Summit was aimed at warning the international community about what is going on in the Republic of Moldova,” said Dionis Cenușa, noting public diplomacy is a very useful instrument that the government can use together with strategic communication to ensure safety for the population that is on the alert as Moldova hasn’t overcome all the crises that it has experienced since 2020.
The public debate entitled “How did Moldova reach G7 Summit and what should it do to take the foreign opportunities and build state resilience and defend citizens?” was the 246th installment of IPN’s project “Developing Political Culture through Public Debates” that is supported by the Hanns Seidel Foundation.
