Moldovan PM says leadership not to allow Moldova become part of Russian world

Moldova will never return to its Soviet past and will not be part of the Russian world. Prime Minister Dorin Recean has made statements to this effect in an interview with renowned Ukrainian journalist Dmitri Gordon. Recean wishes the Russians to develop and invest in a better life and not in wars. At the same time, Recean acknowledged that, if Russian troops had advanced to Chisinau, Moldova would not have lasted more than 72 hours.

The PM referred to Russia’s interference with the internal affairs of Moldova, the "dirty" money coming from the Kremlin to buy Moldovans’ votes.

"Russia supported the Transnistrian war in 1992 and imposed neutrality. Today, neutrality is provided for in our Constitution, and we respect it, but the only country which does not respect this neutrality is the Russian Federation. And today there are Russian troops there. They have sought to support politicians in Moldova and are still trying to do so. Criminal money is directed to Moldova to buy Moldovans’ votes, so that the Moldovans vote against their interest," Recean said.

The prime minister reiterated that the European integration was the only path for the development of Moldova and this direction had been decided by the country's citizens.

"Moldova has decided it wants to become a member state of the European Union. Russia tells us that we are not allowed to do this and that we must remain here. Such an approach is incomprehensible to us," Recean noted.

Dorin Recean also commented that Russia has many adherents and subservient people, representing the "fifth column," and that the authorities' task was to combat the propaganda and disinformation amidst broad support for European integration during the presidential elections and referendum in the autumn of 2024.

"Regrettably, there are still many representatives of the fifth column. Some of them "fulfill" the tasks assigned by the Kremlin "well." They have effective propaganda; Russia invests a lot of money in that. Our task is to fight this propaganda, to explain to people, to make them understand that it is misinformation or propaganda. What we notice is that they want to accredit the idea of building a Russian world, insisting that their world is suitable for Moldova. At the same time, we see massive support from Moldovans for European integration. Moldovans work in Spain, Italy, France, Germany; they already understand where there is peace and order, where laws work, where there is democracy and where you won’t go to prison for criticizing the power. The past elections showed that Moldova firmly stands by its position," Recean said.

Moldova will never again be part of the Russian world, says Dorin Recean, who wishes Russians to invest in development, not in wars, to build a prosperous life like in Europe. According to estimates, Russia spent about one trillion dollars in the war in Ukraine.

"We do not want to be part of the Russian world. We wish the Russians to develop and build a good life at home, not send Russians to kill Ukrainians and die themselves. We, as a nation, will not allow Moldova to become part of the Russian world. Returning to the Russian world cannot happen. We have clearly determined that the development vector is a good life like in Europe. I wish the Russians to build a modern, European life," Recean stressed.

The PM also said that he respected all states that do not wage wars and kill people, and he also said what he would tell Putin, if he met him.

"If I meet Putin, I will tell him that all attempts to subdue Moldova and Ukraine harm the Russians more than these countries. Imagine if all this money spent by Russia in the war with Ukraine was directed towards Russia's development for ensuring a good life for Russians," the Moldovan official highlighted.

Referring to Russia's military invasion, Recean condemned the war in Ukraine and acknowledged that the Moldovan authorities examined various scenarios on February 24, 2022, including the approach of Russian troops to the capital of  Moldova. In this situation, according to Recean, Moldova would not have lasted more than three days.

"We made scenarios; Moldova would have resisted 72 hours. We foresaw this scenario that they might reach Chisinau," Recean said.

The Moldovan prime minister expressed gratitude to the Ukrainian people for the courage and sacrifice they proved by defending the peace in Moldova as well.