While Russia claims that the disruption of Moldovan wine imports was due to a problem of technical nature, the official replies to Chisinau's inquiries have failed to tell what it precisely was, Moldovan Prime Minister Iurie Leanca told an interview with the Russian paper Vedomosti.
Leanca said he asked his Russian counterpart Dmitri Medvedev to explain what the technical problem was, but the provided answer could not clarify the situation. “I admit that not all the Moldovan exporters supplied good wines. But it is not fair to paint everyone with the same brush. I hope we'll be able to overcome this situation soon”.
Asked about potential pressures that Russia could exert on Moldova to prevent it from signing the Association Agreement with the EU, Iurie Leanca said he'd rather not venture to guess. “But we'll make every effort to have an open dialogue. (…) And I don't think that, on a strategic analysis level, Russia really feels threatened by our Eurointegration program”. Leanca added that Moldova does not intend to play any geopolitical game in the interest of either Russia or the EU and will try to keep good relations with both.
The prime minister said that while during the Communist rule in Moldova the relationship with Russia oscillated from one extreme to the other, no radical changes have been seen since the current government took power in 2009. “Russia is a great country, which should be treated with respect and whose interests should be taken into account, but it should be done in such a way that these interests are mutually beneficial”, said Leanca.
The prime minister noted that the Communist Party has been able to maintain it popularity due to its leader, Vladimir Voronin, whose influence is nevertheless dwindling. In his opinion, it would be a winning situation for Russia if it counted on the modern political forces to build its relationship with Moldova.
