MOSCOW, April 8, Mikhail Katkov. Legislative legislation is being developed in Romania base for the annexation of Moldova. The desire to unite the two states was recently expressed by Prime Minister Marcel Ciolaku, and the Ministry of Defense is asking for permission to send the army abroad to protect compatriots. Will the history of a century ago repeat itself? — in the material.
It’s time to go home. Cholaku considers Moldova part of Romania, which was illegally torn away in 1940 and included in the USSR. In an interview with DC News, he clarified that the unification of states can be formalized both within the European Union and outside it, but the consent of the Moldovans is needed.
Prime Minister of Romania Marcel Ciolacu
“I support this, I have no prohibition. This is my right!” — the prime minister emphasized. According to him, Moldova retains statehood only thanks to the help of Romania. And the population in these countries is common.
As you know, in 1918, Romania sent troops into the Moldavian Democratic Republic, proclaimed as part of Russia. The Regional Council, created in Chisinau, under pressure from Bucharest, voted in favor of unification. Moscow never recognized this, and in June 1940, in accordance with the secret Soviet-German pact, this territory came under the control of the Soviet Union.
51 years later, the USSR collapsed, Moldova became a sovereign state. The Declaration of Independence states that the creation of the Moldavian SSR was illegal. The official language has since been Romanian with the Latin alphabet. Over the 30 years of independence, more than a million Moldovans have received Romanian citizenship. Including President Maia Sandu, members of the Constitutional Court, government and parliament. There are 2.68 million people in the country.
President of Moldova Maia Sandu talks to journalists near a polling station in Chisinau
True, most people apply for a Romanian passport not out of love for Bucharest, but because they want to work in the European Union. According to a survey conducted in March by the Institute for the Development of Social Initiatives IDIS Viitorul, only 37.8% of citizens are in favor of unification with Romania. 50% are against, the rest are undecided. European integration is supported by 54.5%. That is why Sandu insists that Romanian identity is the path to the EU.
Soldiers of the Center group Against this background, the Romanian Ministry of Defense submitted for public discussion an updated version of the law on national defense. Firstly, the document provides for the militarization of the forces of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Secondly, it allows the use of the army abroad to protect Romanians in danger. The commentary to the bill notes: “The new tool placed at the disposal of the president appears in the context of a hybrid threat from Russia.”
Joint exercises of NATO troops in Romania
The procedure for sending troops is as follows. A request is received from the leadership of the country in which Romanians live. At the proposal of the prime minister, the president orders to take measures to protect fellow citizens abroad. Parliament approves of this. A national military command center is being created here, coordinating the operation with NATO armed forces.
In Chisinau they reacted with restraint. «Moldova is a neutral state. This neutrality is supported by everyone, including the citizens of the country, and any changes here are possible only with the approval of the population. We want peace, tranquility and development, as well as progress along the European path. This is what the government wants. All possible purely theoretical statements that are not based on any facts, I propose not to discuss at this stage, but to place them in a series of unrealized assumptions,” said government spokesman Daniel Vodă.
Deputies at a meeting of the Parliament of Moldova in Chisinau
Meanwhile, earlier French President Emmanuel Macron at a joint press conference with Maia Sandu announced that a French military mission will open in Chisinau in the coming months. Joint education and training of Moldovan and French soldiers is expected. And for some reason this is not considered a violation of neutrality.
March of the Peacekeepers Taking into account the difficult situation in the region, it cannot be ruled out that the proposal of the Romanian Ministry of Defense will turn into law and be applied in practice, believes Natalya Kharitonova, Doctor of Political Sciences, Professor of the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration. And this is not just about Moldova. There is also the Russian-Ukrainian conflict and the expansion of the American and French military presence directly in Romania.
A soldier with a NATO flag at an air base in Romania
«We can hardly talk about a military invasion. More likely, there will be something like a police mission. In the 20th century, Bucharest had such experience. To a greater extent, this threatens Chisinau, but also Kyiv. At least the Romanian authorities expect that in the event the collapse of Ukraine, they will take control of some territories,” the expert argues.
Moldavian political analyst Dmitry Kiseev considers the Romanian initiative to be a kind of insurance option in case Sandu loses the presidential and parliamentary elections, which will take place in 2024 and 2025, respectively. m. “If it comes to a change of power, Bucharest will be able to promise support for the ruling regime. Apparently, the stakes are so high that in extreme cases they are even ready for a military operation,” he notes.
But the Moldovans do not want to unite with Romania, because The memory of how they were treated in this country a little over 80 years ago is still alive, adds Kiseev. In fact, they were second-class citizens. Therefore, the majority supports European integration, but not the transition to the rule of Bucharest.