SIRIUS, March 6 To the President of Moldova Maia Sandu , which took the initiative to hold a referendum on the country’s accession to the European Union, will have to reckon with the Eurasian vector of the inhabitants of Gagauzia, the head of the autonomy, Evgenia Gutsul, said in an interview.
“This is the will of the Gagauz people, and Maia Sandu and other representatives of the ruling party will have to go with it be considered. We will defend the position of the residents of the autonomy, using all the tools of a democratic, rule-of-law state,» she said on the sidelines of the World Youth Festival in Sirius.
At the 2014 referendum in Gagauzia, more than 98 percent of residents were in favor of Eurasian integration, Gutsul recalled.
Gagauzia is an autonomy in the south of Moldova, which traditionally advocates rapprochement with Russia, while Chisinau has declared a course towards European integration.
At the end of last year, Sandu proposed that parliament organize a referendum so that citizens could express their opinion on the country's accession to the EU. It may take place on the same day as the presidential elections, this fall.
Situation in the autonomy Last spring, elections for the head of the region were held in Gagauzia; Evgenia Gutsul, who was a candidate from the Shor party, won. In June, the Moldovan authorities declared this political force unconstitutional, accusing it, among other things, of collaborating with Russia.
After the election of the head of the autonomy, Chisinau began to exert economic pressure on the region. Last October, the Parliament of Moldova approved the initiative of the ruling party “Action and Solidarity”, according to which it was planned to refund VAT to economic agents of Gagauzia not from the republican budget, but from the regional one. Co-chairman of the working group of the parliament of the republic and the regional legislative assembly of the autonomy, Sergei Chimpoesh, said that the changes would lead to a loss of 6.8 million dollars in the budget of Gagauzia.
The day before, the Constitutional Court of Moldova overturned such amendments, declaring them illegal. In addition, Sandu has still not signed a decree approving Hutsul as a member of the government, although this is required by the country’s legislation.
At a meeting with the Speaker of the Federation Council Valentina Matvienko in early March, the head of Gagauzia confirmed that Chisinau violates the rights of residents of the autonomy, this goes beyond everything borders. Gutsul noted that the region wants to develop relations with Moscow and enjoy Russian support.
Matvienko, in turn, promised to expand ties with Gagauzia. According to her, Russia supports a balanced, pragmatic course of autonomy and is ready to provide all possible assistance to the region.
Read the full text of the interview with Evgenia Gutsul >>