Former Gagauz lawmaker says entire world should be informed that small Gagauz people speaks out for peace, condemns people who unleashed war against Ukraine

Chisinau, 17 June /MOLDPRES/ - An MP of the first parliament of Moldova, signatory to the Declaration of Independence Constantin Tausanji has launched a call, thereby urging the Gagauz people to unite and condemn the war waged by Russia in Ukraine. Tausanji is the author of the first draft of the Gagauz autonomy and witness of the events through which the autonomy went during time.     

„We must inform the entire world that the small Gagauz people speaks out only for peace and condemns those who unleashed a wide-scale war against Ukraine,’’ the former MP says in his public declaration.  

University professor, PhD, in economics at the Comrat University Constantin Tausanji stresses that the special status provided by Moldova to the Gagauz Autonomy is defied by people interposed in the autonomy’s leadership.   

Here is a fragment of the declaration by Constantin Tausanji:  

„Dear citizens,

I have been silent for much time, following the political games of our Gagauz leadership, still young and unripe.  

I feel shame for our Gagauzia, which found itself hostage of the fugitive oligarch Ilan Shor, named ‘’bag with money’’ – Gagauzia sold itself as goods at tender, against an acceptable sum. ‘’The bag with money’’ knows the rules of the game quite well – what cannot be bought with a few money, can be bought with big money.     

A poor old woman also sold her vote for two kg of buckwheat and further – more. Thus, most lawmakers had to approve an ordered executive committee. There are enough honest people; but they are a minority there and cannot influence the taking of final decisions. MP Alexandr Tarnovski has recently become victim for his principledness – they got rid of him. Ilan Shor continues to consolidate his power in the Gagauz Autonomy.      

Everything can be tolerated, even if the money of Shor is stolen – let them build for the benefit our Gagauz autonomy. Nevertheless, Evghenia Gutul, proclaimed bashkan by mistake, makes a dangerous game: without realizing this, she attracts the Gagauz Autonomy into a military conflict - she met President of Russia Vladimir Putin and posted a photo on the Internet on how they are shaking their hands. What did she want to tell Putin by this gesture? That Gagauzia supports the war in Ukraine and that the Ukrainians must be killed? That, after Buryats and Daghestani, Gagauz people will be sent to war too?        

I want to publicly say that this is the position of provoker Shor. Namely he pushes this girl to make non-thought-out steps, in order to get power.   

I write these rows with a great anxiety: I see in front of my eyes the tense events from October 1990. At that time, there were provokers too, which pushed us to war with the Moldovans; yet, we proved to be stronger and our party ‘’for peace’’ eventually defeated ‘the party of war.’’ Everything ended with shaking hands in Cimislia, between President Mircea Snegur and the head of the Comrat Regional Executive Committee, Constantin Tausanji, after which a joint call was made to the people of Moldova, broadcast at news on TV. This is what I am proud of at present – that the conflict ended peacefully, without victims; we saved many young people on both sides.     

But I cannot forget a tragic event of that time. The older generation remembers the march of the volunteers against the Gagauz settlements – young and old people raised to defend. Among them, there was a young 23-year-old man Iuri Gaidarji, born in Comrat. During one of the operations, fighter Iuri Gaudarji was killed in a cross-fire. We buried our defender with full honours. I was moving behind the coffin, accusing myself, first of all, - I should have started the negotiations in Cimislia earlier. This cannot be forgotten. These things happened in 1990 and at present, thousands of people as Iuri Gaidarji die in the neighbour Ukraine. This is a great grief for their mothers.     

I address these words to a woman – mother Evghenia Gutul. She must understand her mission on the planet Earth. Nobody has right to take somebody’s life given by God. The truth reads that the big countries make big politics, while the small countries should make a wise policy for the defence of their fellow countrymen.    

We must know our ancestors – who are we: we are a Turkic people, speakers of Turkish language, not speakers of Russian language. Another amendment – our trustee is Turkey, not Russia. Only due to President Suleyman Demirel, President of Turkey and his friendship with President of Moldova Mircea Snegur, our Gagauz autonomy was approved. Suleyman Demirel came to Comrat four times, to his people, as he liked to say: ‘’The Gagauz people are our brothers.’’ In the difficult moments, he helped us morally and financially. We do not forget his support at the foundation of our university. This cannot be forgotten. Turkey helps us also at present, more than any other country.      

Our new government faces an interesting dilemma: when we need material assistance, we go to Turkey, to Erdogan, and when the political quarrels begin, we go to Russia, to Putin. A curious case took place in Comrat: in a family, the wife loves Putin, while her husband hates him equally much. They got even to divorce. Is this for laugh or cry? The reason for this represent the old roots of the Stalinism, of which we still have not been able to get rid. This disease is still affecting us now too. We are all different – some ripen earlier, some – later. The society needs tolerance, patience for each other. To agree with each other, we need dialogue West-East, as well as dialogue inside the country. Where there is good and evil, peace and war, the mankind always preferred to be on the side of good and all wars were ending, just as all empires. Our task is to learn the lesson and not to repeat the mistakes of the past.       

Presently, we must inform the entire world that the small Gagauz people speaks out only for peace and condemns those who unleashed this wide-scale war against Ukraine.  

For certain reasons, people got used to think that the power belongs to the people. The people does not decide anything. The history is made by the personalities who stay on the peak of the pyramid – a certain person can start a war and also he/she can stop it.

Everybody should know: we set up the Gagauz Autonomy not for our beloved chiefs, not for their travels abroad, but for the development of the culture, for the well-being of the Gagauz people. But there are outrageous problems, which persist from one year to another and stay unsolved.

Problem No 1

The Gagauz authorities, starting from 1995, renounced the Gagauz mother language in the education sector. The Gagauz language and the state language are taught in schools at the level of foreign languages. This is nothing more but a sentence: with the disappearance of the Gagauz language, the Gagauz Autonomy will disappear too and what is more important, our ethnic minority will disappear. Many small peoples disappeared from the map of the world, after they had lost their language. In 2010, the reputed international organization, UNESCO, included the Gagauz language in the register of the extinguishing languages in the world.  

It is frightening for one to imagine that, in 30-40 years, the only Turkish-speaking Orthodox people might disappear. The patriarch of the Gagauz culture, Dionis Tanasoglu, warned us that, if we lose the mother language, we will nose also our ethnic minority, i.e. also the Autonomy.   

In the past, MPs  Ekaterina Jekova, Elena Karamit, Mihail Jelezoglo and Alexandr Tarnovski worked a lot in the former People’s Assembly to revive the culture and language, but they were in minority and a radical change actually never occurred. The Gagauz opposition always knocks at the door of the authorities, but the doors are not opened. In 2010, I proposed a draft law, On the education in 3 languages, but they forgot it. For certain reasons, the Turkish diplomacy overlooks this issue…   

Problem No 2

The second pressing problem is the dying economy of Moldova, including the one from Gagauzia. Where the reason for all our troubles is hidden? How to heal a sick economy? Where should we take this recipe from?   

Unfortunately, the authorities of Moldova and the ones of Gagauzia do not know the answers to these questions, but we know it. During 20 years, I submitted to the government of Moldova and to the region’s Executive Committee over ten different projects with practical support. No reaction was.   

Who is guilty and what we must do?

The World and the Universe work in such a way that there are not unsolvable situations in the nature. There is always a way out. And at present, there is also a way out for the sick Gagauzia.

But what we should do now?

Now, we must:

1. Assemble the Gagauz elite from Bessarabia, Odessa, Kiev, etc. at the level of the civil community and to create an organizational committee of an international conference on the present situation. It is badly necessary to invite to this conference the diplomatic corps of Turkey, as guarantor of the conservation of our ethnic group. At the conference, we must adopt a new anti-corruption regional economic concept, as well as a special concept for the survival of the Gagauz ethic minority in the context of the globalization.   .

2. Based on the materials of the conference, we should make a plan on the holding of the Congress of Gagauz from all over the world in Comrat.

3. Round tables should be organized in the near future, with the participation if the civil community, non-governmental organizations and the media.’’