Maia Sandu rejects Russia's request to block Moldova's accession to NATO: “It's not Putin's decision”
President Maia Sandu has firmly rejected Russia's request for the Republic of Moldova to permanently give up the prospect of accession to NATO, stressing that only citizens have the right to decide this.
Maia Sandu rejects Russia's request to block Moldova's accession to NATO: President.md
The President of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu, said that only the citizens of the country can decide whether Moldova retains its neutrality status or opt for accession to a military block, such as NATO. The reaction comes in the context in which Moscow has demanded, as part of the conditions for the conclusion of the Ukraine war, guarantees written that the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine and Georgia will never become members of the North Atlantic Alliance.
“In the case of the Republic of Moldova, we have an article in the Constitution that says that the Republic of Moldova is a neutral country and only our citizens can decide. It is not the decision of Putin or someone else”, Maia Sandu said in an interview for Pro TV Chisinau, quoted by News.ro.
“It is only the right of our citizens”
Asked what would happen if the great powers would accept Russia's request, and the Moldovans would express their desire to join NATO, the head of state was firm: “It is only the right of the citizens of the Republic of Moldova to decide what they want for their country now, over a year or over 10 years. But unfortunately there is no real interest from Russia to stop this war. No“Added Maia Sandu.
Warning on a possible wave of Russian troops in Transnistria
In the same interview, Maia Sandu drew attention to a scenario that she considers dangerous: the dislocation of about 10,000 Russian soldiers in the Transnistrian region. The president said that such a thing could become a reality if a Kremlin's interests were installed in the Republic of Moldova.
“It is a real danger, if the power in Chisinau will be controlled by Russia. There is information we have, but the figure is dangerous ”, Sandu said in the show “In depth”.
According to her, the purpose of Russia is to seize power in Moldova through a pro-Russian governance, and the stake is the parliamentary elections this fall. “The risks are high for the country, I do not exaggerate. I do not want to scare anyone, but we are all wise people and we should analyze things and take care not to lose what we have ”, added the president.
Asked what he will do if, after the September elections, a Parliament will be elected “hostile”, Maia Sandu said that she will exercise her mandate within the limits provided by the Constitution. “But we know what are the competences of the President and who are of the Parliament, respectively my powers are limited”, she said.
Reactions to the estimates of Prime Minister Recean
Prime Minister Dorin Recean recently stated that Russia intended to send 10,000 soldiers to the left of the Dniester to strengthen their military presence in the region. This information, he says, comes from the assessments of state security institutions. Government spokesman Daniel Voda confirmed that the figures were analyzed at national level.
In reply, the designated ambassador of the Russian Federation in Chisinau, Oleg Ozerov, rejected the accusations and qualified them as “Electoral fantasies”asking the Moldovan prime minister to present concrete evidence for his statements.
The current Russian military presence
Currently, in the Transnistrian region there are about 1,500 soldiers carrying the marks of the Russian Federation. Most are not troops from Russia, but locals enrolled under the command of the separatist administration in Tiraspol. Chisinau has repeatedly called for the withdrawal of the Russian military contingent, but Moscow ignored these requests, although it has made international commitments in this regard.
