The Republic of Moldova is a unique case inside the Eastern Partnership, even if the people in the other member states also experience the ensemble of problems typical of the economic development, social wellbeing, etc. The duality about the future towards which the Republic of Moldova and Moldovan society in general tend makes it have a separate and unique position in the EaP. At the level of the European Union, there should be a choice or at least understanding of the fact that the Republic of Moldova can exist as a sovereign state or as a part of a state that is already a member of the EU and NATO, political analyst and historian Anatol Țăranu stated in the public debate “Resistance to shock in Eastern Partnership – EU approach vs. NATO variant” that was staged by IPN News Agency.
Moldova’s former ambassador to Russia said the EU, even if it avoids addressing this problem, will ultimately have to adopt a clear position as regards the future of the Republic of Moldova, namely from the angle of the two development options. The first option is to develop as a sovereign, independent state with all the elements in the future. But the experience of the last 30 years shows that the process of constituting this state by an efficient formula will last for decades.
The second option, according to the historian, is that the Republic of Moldova will become part of Romania. It will return to the national, ethnic-cultural, traditional, historical area. “There, the economic, social, political and democratic processes will have a faster course. Moldovan society will have to adjust to these rules that work in a state with problems, but a European state, where the laws work,” stated Anatol Țăranu.
According to him, this is the dilemma witnessed by the EU, which will have to address this issue from this perspective sooner or later. “The Republic of Moldova from this viewpoint has a separate position. This impedes the approaches formulated in Brussels, by NATO. At the same time, resistance to shocks becomes more intricate owing to this unique status of the Republic of Moldova, caused by duality as regards the future towards which it and Moldovan society in general tend,” noted the political analyst.
Anatol Țăranu also said that the political class and the authorities that are an extension of the political class experience the “curse” of the Moldovan society, which resides in the categorical and fatal division of society into two approximately equal camps that have diametrically opposed views on the country’s future from geopolitical viewpoint. A part of society supports the Western development model, while another part sees its future in the Eastern space. “From this viewpoint, the Republic of Moldova is doomed to this continuous doubling that affects the efficiency of the functioning of state institutions. From government to government, when the parties with different geopolitical orientations change, the political approaches promoted by the state institutions also change. We do not yet have a class of functionaries created according to the criterion of professionalism and that does not change when the political class changes,” stated the political analyst.
The debate “Resistance to shock in Eastern Partnership – EU approach vs. NATO variant” was the 148th installment of the debates project “Developing political culture through public debates” that is supported by the Hanns Seidel Foundation.
