Lazar Comanescu's visit to Moldova as a shallow meltdown in Moldo-Romanian relationships, Moldovan expert

Following the visit of the Romanian Foreign Minister Lazar Comanescu to Moldova, it's too early to talk about any improvement in the Moldo-Romanian relationships, the political analyst Victor Chirila, a program director with the Foreign Policy Association, has stated for Info-Prim Neo. “It's however obvious that the diplomatic institutions from Bucharest and Chisinau have started to talk, after the dialog was broken last December because of a gaffe made by Chisinau by declaring persona non grata two Romanian diplomats,” Chirila said. The experts supposes the goal of the visit is namely to repair that gaffe, especially after recent signals from the European Union that Moldova and Romania should resume the dialog, yet without the EU's involvement. “This visit is a first step in re-building the relationships, a slight meltdown, yet the ice is still rather thick,” says Victor Chirila. According to the analyst, one still has to wait and see whether this “meltdown” will also affect other much more important levels, as the dialog between the Presidents from Bucharest and Chisinau is, as, in the long run, it is the heads of states who set the key of the bilateral cooperation. Victor Chirila thinks that the two Foreign Ministers made a mere exchange of opinions in Chisinau concerning the present stage of the Moldo-Romanian relationships. They may even have pointed out some vectors to be taken into consideration by the two sides. “From now on, one will see how serious this commitment of both sides is to settle the existent problems. The question is about current issues as the citizenship, visas, opening new consulates in Balti and Cahul, the Basarabian Church issue (which keeps on emerging in different forms,) the Convention on frontier minor traffic, but also more general issues as the Basic Treaty or the Border Accord,” Victor Chirila pointed out. In his opinion, the sides may find common ground, if they manage to develop a joint strategy to develop the bilateral relations. Now there are no even particular strategies of each side, there are only different visions in Chisinau and Bucharest about how those relations may develop. Bucharest sees the evolution of its relations with Moldova through the principle “one people, two different states”, whilst Chisinau – “different peoples, two different states”. As long as these visions last, settling the problems will last. Other failures and disappointments hostile periods, statements full of frustration and vexation may follow,, the analyst believes. The European integration is a platform able to help the two states overcome their misunderstandings, he thinks. Yet, there is one more problem. Bucharest has lately failed to use the EU argument in the relations with Moldova. Often, Romania tries to apply a special policy when it comes to Moldova and that is why we do not find Romania within the club of the EU members and friends of Moldova. Paradoxically, Romania is in the club of the states making friends with Georgia. Romania should make it sure it can count on the EU's support when it comes to Moldova, Victor Chirila considers. Lazar Comanescu visited Moldova officially on July 7 invited by his Moldovan counterpart Andrei Stratan. This is the first visit of a top official from Romania to . Moldova, after the visit of premier Calin Popescu-Tariceanu in June 2007, on the background of divergences and tense statements in the Chisinau-Bucharest relationship, both in 2007 and earlier this year.