The president of Modavia, Maia Sandou, sounded the “alarm bell” regarding the need to stop Russian aggression, stressing at the same time that “the integration also constitutes a bulwark against its expansionist tendencies”.
In the context of a closed meeting she had in Athens, on the sidelines of her official visit to Greece on Monday (12/15), and which was attended by Vima, Mrs. Sandou referred to the crucial energy transit role that Moldova can and wishes to play and also to the reform efforts that she and her country’s government are making.
“We want to remain a democracy”
“Moldova wants to be part of the free world.” With this statement, the president of Moldova began her presentation, devoting a large part of her speech to “the dangers that her country faces from Russian expansionism.”
“We have to face a hybrid war on the part of Russia,” he stressed, referring to the ways in which Moscow tried to influence the outcome of the 2024 presidential election (which coincided with the referendum on EU membership) and last September’s parliamentary elections. “We estimate that in last year’s presidential election, 8 to 10% of the vote was essentially tainted by Russian influence,” he said, and spoke of a takeover and propaganda operation at the same time, which included financing and intimidation of citizens.
“There were people who were bought off and others who were pressured through the spread of false news, such as that a possible EU membership would put their property at risk,” said the Moldovan president. “Russian bots are not free opinion,” he added, indirectly but clearly responding to Moscow’s accusations of violating the right to free opinion.
“We are a democracy, and we want to remain. Free opinion is the foundation of democracy. But the right to an opinion is one thing, and spreading false news with a specific intention is another,” said Mrs. Sandou, among other things.
Transnistria and Gagauz minority
Regarding the pro-Russian separatist region of Transnistria, which is located between Moldova and Ukraine and operates de facto as an independent state, Ms Sandu
he stressed: “Russia is illegally funding political parties and election campaigns in our country. It is using the Transnistria region as well as the Gagauz minority to try to destabilize Moldova. We saw how he punished people in the Transnistria region last winter when he cut off gas, and of course he may try to do it again. It uses disinformation and cyber-attacks, as we have seen in recent election contests.”
EU and Moldova
However, the Moldovan president believes that the vast majority of citizens wish to join the EU, denying the division of public opinion. “There is a percentage of around 60% who wish to join the EU, another 20% who, while positive, fear that the balance with Russia will be disturbed and another 20% who are pro-Russian.”
He even estimated that Moldova is currently facing a historic opportunity. “We have significant popular support and the commitment of all state institutions at the same time to the implementation of the reforms required for our accession to the EU,” he emphasized. And he warned of the risk of losing the momentum of the October 2024 referendum, when 50.35% of voters approved changing the Constitution to include the goal of EU membership.
“In recent years we have had an unprecedented Russian intervention in the internal affairs of Moldova, which is logical because the invasion of Ukraine has reinforced the belief that we cannot trust Russia,” he added.
“We believe that the goal of joining the EU in 2030 is completely achievable,” he added, referring to “great progress achieved in cooperation with member states and Brussels institutions.”
“We still have a lot to do but we need the EU’s help to find solutions,” Mrs. Sandou emphasized. And she linked her country’s European perspective to curbing Russia’s aggressive ambitions. “We will do everything to ensure that Russia does not control Moldova and does not use it against Ukraine and against EU member states. If Russia manages to control power in Moldova, it can turn it into a base for its hybrid operations against the EU, whose member states will likely be the next target,” he said.
Greece and energy
Finally, regarding the relationship between Chisinau and Athens, Mrs. Sandou expressed the hope that “the excellent political relations of the two states will be translated into deeper discussions for economic cooperation”, referring at the same time to a Greek success story regarding the implementation of reforms. He even invited Greek companies to invest in Moldova, emphasizing the renewable energy sector.
He also emphasized that the Vertical Corridor – which will connect Greece with Ukraine and in which Moldova plays a crucial role – is not only an energy axis, but also offers an alternative logistics channel for Russian natural gas.
“Energy autonomy and independence from Russian energy means less room for the Kremlin to interfere in our internal affairs,” he noted. “We used to be blackmailed by the Kremlin about when the pump would be turned on or off. Today we import 5.7% of our natural gas from Russia and only 4% of our imports are Russian.”
