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| Veaceslav Craciun | |
If we aim to find a musical association with the visit paid by the President of Turkey to Comrat, the persons older than 30 will probably choose the song about crocodile Ghena. Moreover, Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived in Comrat by helicopter and staged an unprecedented show – the speech of half an hour in the overcrowded central market of the town was a really picturesque and memorable event. The multiple social facilities built in the Autonomous Territorial Unit with Turkish funds were the present instead of “500 Eskimo ice-creams”. The political support to the region expressed by Erdogan, in terms of the functionality of the autonomous unit, is not less valuable. In other words, the influence of Turkey in Gagauz-Yeri has visibly increased and this circumstance will reinvigorate the “Gagauz factor” in the Moldovan-Turkish relations in the immediate future.
Gagauz honors and red ribbons
The Turkish leader’s visit to the Republic of Moldova lasted for two days. While in Chisinau on October 17, Erdogan took part in the ceremony to inaugurate the presidential palace that was renovated with Turkey’s money, met with senior state officials and signed a series of interstate agreements. The Turkish guest fully devoted the day of October 18 to the trip to Gagauzia, which, regarded through the angle of the welcoming atmosphere created by the inhabitants of the autonomous unit and the very tight program, gave the impression that Erdogan came to Moldova namely to visit Comrat.
On the occasion of President Erdogan’s arrival, October 18 was declared a nonworking day in Gagauz-Yeri. The decision was taken not out of the wish to render homage, but rather out of necessity. On this day, several hundred budget-funded employees of the autonomous unit were brought to Comrat to make the décor when meeting Erdogan and to listen to the speech delivered by this in the square. In fact, there was an abundance of honors. Gagauz pupils met the Turkish leader with his portraits and flags of Turkey, while a band of small dancers presented a welcoming program.
During his stay of several hours in Comrat, Erdogan had a dissuasion with Bashkan Irina Vlah that was attended by the President of Moldova Igor Dodon and inaugurated a series of buildings erected with Turkish funds: the house of culture and the diagnosis and treatment block of the Comrat District Hospital. In fact, more red ribbons were cut that day. The First Lady of Turkey Emine Erdogan opened the creation center in Comrat that was built by the administration of a district of Ankara. In Ceadâr-Lunga, there was opened an elderly people’s home that was constructed by the same investors.
The Turkish side announced the next infrastructure projects that will be implemented in Gagauzia: construction of a drinking water supply system in Vulcănești; building of a center of study on the outskirts of Comrat; renovation of the stadium in Comrat. If this type of participation by Turkey in the life of Gagauz-Yeri can be described as natural, without taking into account the augmentation of the provided support, the theses referring to the autonomous unit’s relations with the central authorities formulated by Erdogan were perceived as ending of Turkey’s years old silence about the region’s political powers.
Political signal
Erdogan didn’t openly speak about the guarantees for the powers of Gagauz-Yeri so as not to generate the perception of interference in Moldova’s internal affairs. But Turkey’s positon on the issue could be anyway deduced from the few words he said: “Together with the President of Moldova and the leader of Gagauzia, we share the opinion about the necessity of taking concrete steps to improve the efficiency of the Gagauz autonomous unit. As earlier, Turkey will support the people of Gagauzia. We want to see Gagauzia developing together with Moldova,” Erdogan stated in a joint news conference held after the meeting with Dodon and Vlah.
The thesis about the efficiency of Gagauzia should be probably understood as support for the local political elite’s dominant viewpoint about the functionality of Gagauz-Yeri. In Comrat, they believe that in order to develop the region, the powers defined in the Law on the Special Legal Status of Gagauzia should be enshrined in the Constitution.
Accidentally or not, the Gagauz people’s request concerning the constitutional consolidation of the powers was supported by President Igor Dodon in the presence of the Bashkan and Turkey’s President. Even if we admit that this is a signal given to the Gagauz public in connection with the upcoming electoral campaign, we cannot ignore the fact that the subject of inserting the “Gagauz reform” in the Constitution occupied a safe place in the agenda of the region’s relations with the central authorities.
The general impression of Erdogan’s visit should be supplemented with details that, even if they remained in the shadow, enable to better understand the event and Turkey’s level of influence on the region. In particular, the scandalous expulsion of seven employees of the Moldovan-Turkish lyceum “Orizont” wasn’t raised during the Turkish leader’s visit by the local authorities and by the local opposition either, which is even more conclusive. The intensification of competition between the local politicians for Turkish leader’s attention and for the possibility of associating themselves with the projects implemented by Turkey was another moment witnessed by the residents of Gagauzia, but after Erdogan’s visit already. Thus, a series of rivals of the Bashkan accused Irina Vlah of “capitalizing on Erdogan’s visit” on several regional TV channels.
“Friendship bridge”
The idea that Russia uses Gagauzia to influence Moldova, which is widespread among Moldovan politologists, moved unnoticeably to the second place and the time is now opportune for speaking about the Turkish influence. It’s true that the limits of this influence and the extent to which Chisinau is ready to take the Turkish authorities’ position on the important for them, but yet internal Gagauz issue into account are not yet clear. As to the constitutional consolidation of the powers of Gagauzia, a realistic assessment of this eventuality leads us to the conclusion that this has no serious chances.
However, the fact that the importance of the Turkish theme in the Gagauz political sphere expanded causes no doubts. According to the last study conducted by CBS-AXA, 43% of the inhabitants of the autonomous unit know about the infrastructure projects implemented by Turkey. One fourth of the residents know about the projects implemented by Russia and only 7.8% remembered the projects implemented by the EU even if the EU has been a leader by the volume of the provided assistance during the past few years. It thus results that the possibility of exhibiting affiliation to the Turkish projects will be used by most of the politicians, either justly or not really.
The “friendship bridge” between Moldova and Turkey is the cliché that is most often used by Turkish politicians in relation to Gagauz-Yeri. Not even Erdogan managed to avoid it. Currently, the given “bridge” is devoted increased attention and the common task of Chisinau and Comrat is to ensure the functionality of this bridge without affecting the “back” of the people of Gagauzia.
Veaceslav Craciun, Comrat
IPN publishes in the Op-Ed rubric opinion pieces submitted by authors not affiliated with our editorial board. The opinions expressed in these articles do not necessarily coincide with the opinions of our editorial board.