CHISINAU, Apr 5 Gagauz autonomy will begin the process of separation from Moldova , if Chisinau decides to unite with Romania, the head of the region, Eugenia Gutsul, said on the Telegram channel.
“If the current Moldovan government agrees to a union, the Gagauz autonomy will not remain silent. <…> Any unionist undertakings mean the immediate launch of the separation procedure Gagauzia and the return to the independent Gagauz Republic. We are confident that the residents of many neighboring Moldovan and Bulgarian villages will support us,» the publication says.
As Hutsul recalled, a referendum was held in Gagauzia in 2014, in which residents declared that they saw their future exclusively as part of an independent and sovereign Moldova. She emphasized that not only Moldovans and Romanians live in the republic, but also Russians, Gagauzians, Ukrainians, Bulgarians and dozens of other nationalities who were able to build harmonious interethnic relations.
«»In the Gagauz Autonomy they treat Romania and Romanian culture with respect and interest. These are our neighbors with whom we want to develop close economic and cultural ties. But we also expect that our neighbors will treat Moldovan statehood and special legal status of Gagauzia,” added Hutsul, emphasizing that the Gagauz are ready to continue to defend the sovereignty of Moldova.
The head of the region expressed the hope that “reason will prevail.”
The day before, Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said in an interview with the DC News portal that he supports the idea of unifying Romania with Moldova, which could happen, among other things, through the republic’s accession to the European Union.
The parliaments of Moldova and Romania held a joint meeting for the first time in 2022 meeting. Before this, the governments of the two countries had met several times, joint commissions and working groups were created in many areas.
In 1918, Romania sent troops into the territory of Moldova, drawing the border along the Dniester River (without the territory of present-day Transnistria). The regional council created in Chisinau voted in favor of unification with the neighboring country. Since June 1940, the territory of modern Moldova has not been part of Romania. On the territory of both countries there are supporters of the idea of “unionism,” that is, the unification of Romania and Moldova by eliminating the latter as a separate state.
According to the results of numerous polls, the majority of Moldovan residents are against absorption by Romania. Thus, according to a March survey by the Institute of Marketing and Sociological Surveys IMAS, only eight percent of voters would vote for a president who would seek the unification of Moldova with Romania.