The strategic perspective for Moldova is to be solidary with Ukraine and to go together with the neighboring country towards the European Union. If the current government tries to negotiate better prices for energy resources with Russia, it will distance itself from the European path and this will be ‘a dangerous trap’ for the country, expert Igor Boțan stated in a public debate held by IPN News Agency.
The standing expert of IPN’s project noted that the discrepancy between the government and the opposition is generated by the sides’ view on the war in Ukraine. The government insists that the situation in Moldova worsened dramatically owing to the war, while representatives of the opposition consider this war is not so dramatic for the government to be unable to ensure the living standards that existed a year ago, when there was no war.
The expert noted that as the opposition considers, for Moldova to keep the living conditions that existed before the war, the country’s administration should have negotiated other prices for energy resources. This would have meant renouncing the government’s country development view.
“According to the parliamentary opposition, the government should not support Ukraine, should dissociate itself from the message of the international community, primarily the European one, and should negotiate better prices with the Russian Federation so as to keep the living standards. From the government’s viewpoint, such a compromise is unacceptable as this deprives the Republic of Moldova of a strategic perspective. The EU contributes, helps us to survive. On the other hand, if we lose this strategic perspective, we will get into a trap that is very dangerous for the Republic of Moldova. In March, the UN General Assembly declared Russia an aggressor. Recently, important international institutions said that the Russian Federation is a state sponsor of terrorism. The big problem is we don’t know when this war will end and for how long we will yet have to endure the impact of this war,” stated Igor Boțan.
According to him, the success of the subsidization program announced by the government should be discussed at the end of the cold period as it will be then clear who was right – the government or the opposition. “Now the citizens of the Republic of Moldova can have one hope and this hope is for this absolutely inhuman war to end. Most of the problems faced by the citizens of the Republic of Moldova are generated by the war in Ukraine. The gas prices started to rise dramatically last July and it was an anticipation of the developments,” he said.
The expert noted many things said by the opposition should be taken seriously, but the alternative plan proposed by this contained nothing radically new and assessments should be better carried out when the cold period is over.
The public debate entitled “Subsidies in times of crisis. Could these be higher? Who could offer more, from what sources and at what cost?” was the 268th installment of IPN’s project “Developing Political Culture through Public Debates” that is supported by the Hanns Seidel Foundation.
