CHISINAU, September 18 Moldavian Foreign Ministry did not approve initiative of the head of the Gagauz autonomy, Evgenia Gutsul, to open a representative office in Turkey in the region.
Earlier, Hutsul held talks with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, where she spoke about her intention to open a representative office of Gagauzia in this country.
“Gagauz autonomy is an integral part of Moldova, and our country already has a diplomatic mission in Turkey. And since the region of Gagauzia is not a subject of international law, it cannot open official or diplomatic missions in other countries,” the press service of the Foreign Ministry of Moldova reported .
Hutsul won the elections of the head of the autonomy this spring. Then she represented the Shor party, the opposition party in the country. In the summer, the Moldovan authorities declared the political force unconstitutional, accusing it of illegal financing and opening criminal cases against its leaders. In addition, Chisinau initiated verification of the election results. In July, the inauguration of Hutsul took place, but none of the representatives of the republic’s authorities attended the ceremony. President of Moldova Maia Sandu has still not signed a decree approving Hutsul as a member of the government, although this is required by the country’s legislation.
Experts in Chisinau note that the ruling pro-presidential party “Action and Solidarity”, taking into account Sandu's current pro-European course, will continue to put pressure on Gagauzia, resorting to accusations of “separatism”. Last year, when there was a wave of protest in the region against rising prices for food and energy resources, the central authorities held a demonstrative exercise of police special forces.
Gagauzia traditionally advocates rapprochement with Russia, while Chisinau has declared a course towards European integration. In February 2014, a referendum was held in the autonomy on the issue of determining the vector of the country’s foreign policy. More than 98% of its participants were in favor of integrating Moldova into the Customs Union.
