The Romanian political analyst Bogdan Chirieac says that Russia does not need an armed conflict in the Republic of Moldova, a poor and vulnerable state, and is able to use other levers to take control of Chisinau instead. This would represent a major threat to Romania, NATO and the European Union, Chirieach was quoted by DCNews.
The commentator explained why it's essential for Romania and the West to send financial aid to Moldova. “The West is primarily focused on Ukraine. Nobody has enough time and attention to look at the Republic of Moldova. The Republic of Moldova is under a Russian hybrid attack, against the background of some real problems faced by this country, the poorest in Europe. I understand that there are 2 million people in the Republic of Moldova and 800,000 of them are ethnic Russians. Moldovan citizens of Romanian ethnicity, just like our citizens, work in Europe”, said Chirieac.
“For Russia, it’s a piece of cake, really. Not necessarily with guns. They wouldn’t be needed. Rather, with a modicum of money, because poverty is high in Moldova, (it can) bring down the government of Maia Sandu. They have big problems, they have nowhere to get electricity from, after the Russians bombed transformer stations in Ukraine, they have nowhere to get gas from, because the pipeline is blocked. (...) With this in mind, Maia Sandu has asked Romania to sell some energy. The US got the call in the right way and will financially support the government of Maia Sandu”, the Romanian analyst said.
According to him, the problem of the West now is that if it does not help the Republic of Moldova, there is a risk of a Russian enclave appearing between Ukraine and Romania.
“It’s the last thing we want to happen here on the border with Romania, with NATO and the EU, with so many citizens with double passports who can infiltrate. All that is needed now for Moldova is a little financial support. Not 1.5 billion euros per month, which Ukraine receives from the EU, but much less. For example, last year Romania had a GDP of 243 billion dollars, and the Republic of Moldova only 7 billion. It’s a disturbing figure”, Chirieac concluded.
