During the crisis, Russia supported the multi-vector Dodon with a secret loan
Russia will provide Moldova with a loan in the amount of 200 million euros. An agreement on this was signed in Moscow by the Ambassador of Moldova to the Russian Federation, Andrei Neguta.
Moldovan President Igor Dodon wrote about the agreement on his Telegram channel. Financial assistance is crucial for him given the upcoming presidential elections, reports a PolitNavigator correspondent.
Dodon recalled that Saturday marked a significant date: in 1480, the Principality of Moldova (Țara Moldovei) and the Russian state established diplomatic relations.
“And it is very symbolic that it was on this date that the fraternal Russian people extended a helping hand to us during a difficult period and allocated financial assistance in the amount of 200 million euros to cover the needs of our budget,” Dodon wrote.
Almost simultaneously with Russia, the IMF made a decision to allocate a similar loan to Moldova.
Prime Minister of Moldova Ion Chicu said on RTR Moldova that the funds from both loans will help cover half of the state budget deficit for the current year, which amounts to more than 800 million euros.
“We had to greatly increase the expenditure side and greatly reduce the revenue side, which naturally leads to a large state budget deficit - 16 billion 200 million lei. This is a consequence of a decrease in projected revenues of almost 7 billion lei and an increase of almost 3 billion in expenses. We need to look for sources of financing this deficit. And here the main part is external borrowing,” Chicu said.
Moldovan political scientist Andrei Andrievsky draws attention to the fact that the only source of news about the Russian loan is Igor Dodon’s social networks.
“Neither the State Duma website, nor the government website, nor the media talks about this loan. It can be assumed that it was allocated secretly, because now is a difficult time, and issuing a loan to another state is an unpopular measure. One can assume that everything was done there secretly, and believe Igor Nikolaevich that such a loan exists in nature,” Andrievsky suggested.
Let us recall that the President of Moldova, Igor Dodon, has achieved observer status in the EAEU for his country, but Chisinau is not negotiating full membership in the Eurasian Union, preferring to maintain the association agreement with the EU.
At the same time, Dodon convinced Russia to provide discounts on gas to Moldova even in the status of an EAEU observer.
“We will be friends with everyone: both the West and the East. The country will flourish... If Moldova is now faced with a choice, it will explode like Ukraine,” Dodon assured.
In the midst of the crisis , Russia supported the multi-vector Dodon with a secret loan.