PM says leadership willing Moldova to have same respect on behalf of Russia as on behalf of EU

Chisinau, 3 April /MOLDPRES/ - We want Moldova to have the same respect on behalf of Russia as it has on behalf of the European Union countries. Prime Minister Pavel Filip has made statements to this effect in an interview to a Bucharest-based daily newspaper.   

The PM said that, through its decisions in relation to Russia, Moldova, for the first time ever, had proved much dignity.

“Moldova’s relation with Russia remains quite complicated. We have made more statements as to Russia. On the one hand, there was a money laundering. More than 20 billion dollars from Russia was laundered through a national bank from Moldova. The fact that Russia has not cooperated at all surprised me much. Afterwards, more pressures started against Chisinau officials. We had cases when MPs and government representatives were intimidated and held in airports from Russia for hours, even if they were going there at invitations by colleagues from Russia. These things, unfortunately, continue. Neither the agreements we have within accords of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) are observed. Russia imposed customs duties for 19 positions of Moldova. These 19 positions account for more than 80 per cent of the exports we made to the Russian market,” Filip said.      

The prime minister reiterated that the Moldovan authorities were willing a good relation with Russia; yet, it should be based on mutual respect.

“I understand that Russia is a big country, Moldova is smaller; yet, we are an independent and sovereign state. We want to have the same respect as we have on behalf of Romania and other EU countries. The period for us being afraid of Russia is over. Now, we say with loud voice that Moldova us a neutral country; yet, Russia, which speaks about the observance of Moldova’s neutrality most of all, is the one which keeps its armed forces here. It is the only country which violates the neutrality of Moldova. We will be absolutely consistent and will demand, in continuation, the withdrawal of the foreign troops, Russian troops, from the territory of Moldova,” Pavel Filip added.   

(Reporter A. Ciobanu, editor M. Jantovan)