Igor Dodon’s attempts to proliferate a positive image of Russia in Moldova represent an anomaly for the countries that signed Association Agreements with the EU. For similar gestures, Salome Zurabishvili or Petr Poroshenko would have faced mass protests that would have resulted also in their removal from office, political pundit Dionis Cenușa wrote in a feature article for IPN Agency.
The expert draws a number of parallels with the Presidents of Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova.
Unlike the principle “more NATO in Georgia and more Georgia in NATO” that is promoted by Zurabishvili, the President of Moldova wants internationally guaranteed permanent neutrality for the country. Moreover, he intends to diminish the already existing contacts with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and this was manifested through the hostility to the foundation of the NATO Liaison Office in Chisinau.
Contrary to Poroshenko, the President of Moldova rejects the idea of an international peacekeeping mission in the Transnistrian region and supports the maintaining of Russian peacekeepers that have stayed in Moldova for 25 years already. Moreover, despite the critical approach of civil society, President Dodon glorified the activity of the Russian peacekeepers that were awarded orders in July 2017.
The expert also analyzes other important dimensions that make a distinction between the President of Moldova and Poroshenko, such as the attitude to the European integration.
The Ukrainian leader launched the process of constitutionalizing the European and Euro-Atlantic courses in 2018, which ended with an overwhelmingly majority vote - 334 votes in favor out of 385 attending MPs. The modification of the Constitution set as a strategic priority the country’s orientation to the EU and NATO for any of the future elected Presidents, including the governments controlled by them.
Unlike the Ukrainian case, Igor Dodon described this initiative as a destructive element for society, which does not serve the country’s pro-Moldova orientation.
According to Dionis Cenușa, the dedication by which Igor Dodon promotes the legitimacy of the Russian influence shows how permissive the Moldovan public is towards a presidential administration that prioritizes an external agenda that does not actually contribute to strengthening institutions.
Igor Dodon’s multi-vector policy, which is also called “balanced”, is one of the conditions imposed by the Socialists for forming a future government coalition.
Such a development can yet extend Moldova’s isolation, at least in relation to the neighboring countries, from the presidential administration to the other central institutions, concluded the expert.
