The Russian ambassador to Romania, Vladimir Lipaev, gave an extensive interview to the Russian state agency TASS, popularized on the embassy's Facebook page, in which, according to the description, he discusses “the prospects for the union of Romania and Moldova, the support given by Bucharest to Kiev and the anti-Russian sentiments of the Romanian government”. The interview is published by the official Russian agency under the title “Romania cannot afford the union with Moldova”, informs News.ro.
Asked if, after the Moldovan authorities “launched the idea” of union with Romania, concrete steps in this direction can already be seen, the ambassador suggested that the idea does not enjoy support among the population of the Republic of Moldova, because in the 20th century “Moldova went through two Romanian occupations” during which abuses were allegedly committed.
“The memory of the events of those years has remained alive among the Moldovan people and, for now, it serves as an antidote against the idea of unification. The majority of the population, as is known, does not support it,” says Vladimir Lipaev.
The power from Chisinau, accused of the “Romanization” of society
However, he accuses the political elite from Chisinau, which would be loyal to Bucharest, of imposing the “Romanization” of society.
“In schools, the Moldovan language is not taught, but the Romanian language, the history of the Romanians is studied, not of the Moldovans, and that in a falsified, distorted light. Almost all the leading politicians, including the president Maia Sandu, hold Romanian passports. Former and current Romanian officials are appointed to the main state positions. The security of the Republic of Moldova, its energy and banking system are placed under the direct control of Bucharest”, the ambassador says.
Asked how Romania is reported and how the inhabitants of Romania react to the idea of union with Moldova, Lipaev claims that “the idea that Romanians and Moldovans are a single people, but divided (…) has taken root quite strongly in public consciousness, thanks to aggressive propaganda” and is exploited by parties and politicians of a nationalist orientation, who speculate on it for electoral purposes.
“Nevertheless, Bucharest is still aware of the difference between what is desired and what is possible. The official narrative is that first the Moldovans themselves must speak out in favor of the union, and then we will see. It is worth remembering that contemporary Moldova is one of the poorest countries in Europe, largely due to the policy of (President Maia) Sandu's team. Therefore, there is a fear here that the Romanian budget simply will not support expenses related to the union”, says the ambassador of the Russian Federation in Bucharest. “That is why there is more talk about the integration of Moldova through its accession to the European Union, which would allow Bucharest to transfer a significant part of the costs to its partners”, he adds.
Accusations against the BOR
The ambassador is also asked about the church schism in Moldova and about “Romania's role” in this process. He accuses the Romanian Orthodox Church of “relying on the support of the current Moldovan authorities, openly carrying out activities to remove Russian Orthodoxy and subordinating the Moldovan Orthodox Church to the so-called Bessarabian Metropolis of the Romanian Orthodox Church”.
“In fact, such hypocritical justifications are used to cover an aggressive expansion on foreign canonical territory, which not only leads to a church schism in Moldova, but also strikes the unity and authority of world Orthodoxy as a whole”, comments the Russian diplomat.
NATO, considered a threat to Romania
The ambassador also comments on the importance of Romania in NATO, given that the second largest NATO coordination center operates here, at Air Base 71 at Câmpia Turzii. However, the diplomat minimizes Romania's weight in the alliance and says that the real threat to Romania is not Russia, but membership in NATO, because, he warns, Romania could be used as a starting point for starting a conflict with Russia.
“Today, the Romanian authorities gladly host NATO military objectives on their territory and strongly advocate for the increase of the presence of the foreign military contingent on the country's territory. They justify this by the mythical “Russian threat”. They prefer not to see, or maybe they don't even honestly understand, that the main threat to the country's security does not come from Russia, but from the membership of the aggressive NATO bloc”, says the ambassador.
“The risks related to the fact that Romania could be used as a starting point for triggering a conflict with Russia, as it already happened once, are easily ignored and hidden from the population,” warned Vladimir Lipaev. “It seems that the lessons of the past have not been fully learned in Bucharest. However, this does not surprise much, if we read how the history of the 20th century and the Second World War is interpreted in local textbooks”, commented the representative of Moscow in Bucharest.
Lipaev invokes the “burden of aid” for Ukraine
When asked about the military aid given by Bucharest to Kiev, the ambassador emphasizes that it is kept secret, but claims that “society is really tired of the burden of aid given to the Kiev regime. According to the latest public opinion polls, more than 40% of the population believes that such aid is not worth giving. At the same time, the number of citizens convinced that Russia will win the conflict in Ukraine is increasing”, assures the ambassador.
Regarding the possible discrimination of Russian citizens in Romania, Vladimir Lipaev says that such an attitude is considered “a sign of common sense” in the West, and Romania follows the general trend. However, he says, “for now, this manifests itself mainly on a daily level in the field of banking and business. No one has long hoped for fair treatment from the official authorities. But, to be fair, lately we have not received reports of serious violations of the rights of our compatriots, measures of legal aggression against them or intentional provocations,” he admits.
“We have no illusions”
Lipaev was also asked about the situation of the Romanian economy and suggested that its degradation “is directly related to the EU's sanctions policy”, because Romania is forced to buy hydrocarbons at higher rates than those offered by Russia, the prices of fertilizers have increased significantly, and the logistic and commercial supply chains of goods have been disrupted.
Lipaev also complains about the relations with the Romanian MFA and says that it is also because of Brussels.
“There is no example attesting that Romania has deviated from the guidelines dictated by the foreign policy structure of the European Union. European diplomacy is led by the well-known Kaja Kallas. This explains a lot, if not everything, when it comes to the ability of the Romanian side to conduct a professional dialogue, at least on working issues. We are under no illusions in this regard. Starting from 2022, a series of actions aimed at intentionally creating difficulties for the functioning of the Russian diplomatic mission”, says Lipaev.
