Having a dialogue with the Gagauz authorities is the only possibility of overcoming the situation in Gagauzia, where two referendums that the official Chisinau does not support are to take place on February 2. The situation is exacerbated namely by the central power, which avoided to communicate with the people, Communist lawmaker Artur Reshetnicov said in the public debate “Chances of a civilized dialogue between Chisinau and Comrat and its dangerous alternatives” that was staged by IPN Agency.
“The dialogue is the only chance to solve this situation. We think there is no alternative. Such a dialogue with Comrat should have been established last year. A dialogue must have been held with the people before the initialing of the Association Agreement with the European Union,” he stated.
Artur Reshetnicov said the Communist Party proposed holding a national consultative referendum where to ask the people their opinion about the country’s external development course. “It is the people’s right to state their opinion on the foreign policy. We do not understand why the government is afraid to listen to the people. In some of the European countries, they hold dozens of referendums. We consider that what the current government does is a crime against the own people. It is a natural right of the residents of Gagauzia to hold these referendums,” said the lawmaker.
The Communists do not hide that they are for Moldova’s integration into the Russia – Belarus – Kazakhstan Customs Union. “But we do not have a majority in the People’s Assembly, which yet voted unanimously in favor of the two referendums. We, the Communists, want such plebiscites to take place in other settlements too. Instead of establishing a dialogue, the official Chisinau starts criminal cases against Gagauz deputies. In 1989-1992, they caused bloodshed by taking legal action against those from Tiraspol,” stated Artur Reshetnicov.
He added that the government behaves towards Gagauzia as if it is an elephant in a porcelain shop. “It removed the cannons and hides behind the prosecutor’s office and the courts of law. If it continues to behave this way, Moldova may witness events similar to those that took place on the Nistru River in the 1990s,” he said.
According to the Communist MP, the measures taken now by the government look more like the actions of a firefighter and this is the consequence of poor governance. “The authorities should descend from the sky and focus on people’s interests. They should not be afraid to consult the people. The promises and criminal cases are not an efficient mechanism. The people want to pronounce on the issues,” stated Reshetnicov.
The debate “Chances of a civilized dialogue between Chisinau and Comrat and its dangerous alternatives” is the 25th of the series “Development of political culture by public debates”, which is supported by the German foundation “Hanns Seidel”.
