The Ministry of Culture will draft a bill to denounce the agreement on the basis of which the Russian Center of Culture in Chisinau operates. Minister of Culture Sergiu Prodan told IPN that this agreement is outdated and the procedure for denouncing it takes time, IPN reports.
"We cannot speak of an emotional reaction to particular events. It is a process planned in advance. It is an agreement concluded in 1998 and whose text no longer represents, in fact, the level of diplomatic and cultural relations between the Republic of Moldova and the Russian Federation. Its amendment takes time, with risks of delays and stalemates. That is why I believe that denouncing this agreement is the best solution," Sergiu Prodan stated for IPN.
The minister also noted that the Republic of Moldova is open to cultural cooperation with all the countries of the world, provided that "this cultural cooperation will in no case turn into inappropriate influence or attempts to undermine the authority of the state."
"In the future, we will see how things stand, how the diplomatic relations between our countries develop," said the minister.
Asked about partnerships between the institutions of the Republic of Moldova and the Russian Center of Culture, Minister Prodan said that for several years the Ministry of Culture has not had any cooperation with that center.
"Since the beginning of the war, for 3 years now, in any case between the Ministry of Culture and this House of Russian Culture in Chisinau, there has been no contact and no cooperation. There were no intentions on the part of this institutions. However, when there is a war, when there are bombings and human losses among ordinary citizens, who do not fight with weapons in hand, civilians, of course cultural cooperation suffers," noted Sergiu Prodan.
The official also said that the Republic of Moldova is ready to cooperate with people of culture, if they are of good faith.
"We are talking about the denunciation of a cooperation agreement with the Russian Federation as a state. This House of Russian Culture represents the state, not artists with Russian citizenship. We do not select according to ethnic or national criteria. We showed our attitude towards particular artists who adopted an aggressive position in relation to the war waged in Ukraine and even justify it," said the minister.
According to Sergiu Prodan, the artists must have a clear position on everything that happens, including the war.
"All the people of culture have one major task - to ensure peace. If peace is not kept, it means that we have not done something well enough and, respectively, everyone's position cannot be neutral. There is no art outside the lives of citizens, outside the things that happen all over the world," said the official.
The decision to close the Russian Center of Cultural was taken after the repeated violation of the airspace of the Republic of Moldova. Following a massive attack on the Ukrainian port of Reni, a number of drones crossed the Moldovan airspace. A drone fell on an agricultural lot near Ciumai village in Taraclia district and another one exploded on a field near Ceadîr-Lunga town.
