Change of power in Moldova: Victory of the West, not Russia
Andrey Safonov, political scientist, Tiraspol
Nine days have passed since the change of power in Moldova, but it is already obvious: the United States and the European Union took advantage of the fact that Russia did the rough work and established almost complete control over Moldova.
1. Since June 14, power in Moldova has been in the hands of pro-Western and pro-Romanian forces
On June 14, 2019, the de facto ruling Democratic Party of Moldova announced its resignation from power and transition to opposition.
The birth of a new ruling coalition was announced , consisting of the pro-Western, pro-Romanian ACUM bloc and the Socialist Party , whose de facto leader, President of the Republic of Moldova Igor Dodon, specifically emphasized:
"You can't be pro-Russian, pro-European, or pro-American. I consider myself a pro-Moldovan politician."
“ My ‘pro-Russian’ nature is a cliché that my political opponents are trying to instill in the minds of citizens.”
On the contrary, his current coalition partners, the leaders of the ACUM bloc, have never hidden their orientation. For example, Maia Sandu , who has been appointed Prime Minister , declares that she " supports the idea of the unification of Moldova and Romania ."
2. Government: AKUM has almost everything. The Socialist Party has practically nothing
When ACUM and the PSRM formed the government, ACUM received virtually everything, while the PSRM received virtually nothing. Of the 11 seats in the government, ACUM held nine, and the Socialist Party only two. The PSRM held the Ministry of Defense, but the army has never played a political role in Moldova. The Socialists also received the deputy prime minister for reintegration . In other words, the unionists and pro-Westerners graciously allowed the supposedly pro-Russian president to force Transnistria under Chisinau's rule, thereby irritating the citizens of the PMR. Meanwhile, the pro-Western, pro-Romanian government itself is strengthening its position daily.
Several years ago, the current "co-leader" of ACUM , Andrei Nastase , who now heads the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Moldova, uttered a prophetic phrase:
" A lot of the people who are with me now were useful idiots. They were used and didn't realize it . "
3.President Dodon was initially blocked
ACUM received the following positions: the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the entire financial and economic bloc, the Ministry of Internal Affairs (the key security agency), education, and culture (where the imposition of Romanianism will continue) . This is ALL power.
For the sake of appearances, a decision was made that the Information and Security Service of the Republic of Moldova would return “to the subordination of the President.”
The latter is a fiction. Prime Minister Sandu stated during the "Punctul pe azi" program on TVR Moldova that " no one from Igor Dodon's inner circle will become the director of the Intelligence and Security Service, even if the president proposes such a candidate... She... denied rumors that the Intelligence and Security Service was ceded to Dodon and the Socialists so that a Moscow-based figure could head the agency."
This is a greeting to Moscow... She also explained: " Although Igor Dodon's socialists received the post of deputy prime minister for reintegration, the ACUM bloc opposes federalization, and this position cannot change... The vote in the executive branch is general, and if this deputy prime minister puts forward ideas for federalization, they will not be supported."
Former Romanian President Traian Basescu once touched on Maia Sandu's trip to the United States, where she met with the famous "cookie dispenser" in Kyiv, Victoria Nuland :
The conclusion is obvious: in reality, power has shifted to a political force represented by ACUM, backed by the US, the EU, and Romania. The rest are simply bystanders.
4.The West dictates the terms of the AKUM-PSRM coalition
Western conditions reign supreme in the AKUM-PSRM coalition.
Firstly , on June 11, members of the Moldovan Parliament, including the Socialists, decided that a foreign citizen (without Moldovan citizenship) could also be the Prosecutor General of Moldova.
Secondly , after this, Maia Sandu did not rule out that the position of future Prosecutor General could be offered to Laura Codruț Kovesi, who is well-known in Romania (and not only in Romania).
Third , on June 16, 2019, Moldovan President Igor Dodon announced a "People's March" in support of the Sandu government. But Sandu simply canceled the presidential initiative , stating that the event "will take place, but on another day."
Fourth , President Dodon himself identified the main player who skimmed the cream off the work of others: he stated that "the United States influenced the Democratic Party's decision to dismiss the cabinet." "It must be acknowledged that the US played a very significant role in this situation... The head of state also added that Chisinau was 'lucky' to have the US ambassador, as evidenced by the improved relations between the countries."
Fifthly, Maia Sandu called on the TV8 channel to the aid of her team the leader of the national-fascist regime that had previously fallen in Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili , and he gave her his consent...
5.Westerners are “throwing” Russia in Moldova
That Westerners have outflanked Moscow is evident from the new Moldovan government's approach to Transnistria . The new Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration , Nicu Popescu, stated:
“The plans for federalization will not be implemented for one reason: the majority of Moldovan citizens are against federalization, and I am categorically against federalization . ”
He sent a message to Moscow so that it would have no illusions:
" I would like to assure you that the Republic of Moldova will continue to insist on the withdrawal of Russian military units stationed illegally on our territory, whose presence contradicts both current legislation and the country's Constitution."
Despite this being a direct attack on Russia and Transnistria, Igor Dodon stated : "I consider Mr. Popescu a professional, and Prime Minister Maia Sandu's proposal to nominate him for the post of minister is the right personnel decision ." At the same time, Dodon and Popescu "particularly emphasized the importance of maintaining all international agreements concluded by the Republic of Moldova, including with the European Union."
At the same time, Minister Popescu put an end to President Dodon's earlier promises to pay attention to Eurasian integration promoted by Russia:
“I met today with President Dodon. We discussed everything. No one will terminate either the Association Agreement with the European Union or other documents.”
"Oil painting": The US and the EU involved Russia in the overthrow of the previous government, pushed it to do the dirty work, and then "ditched" it, installing at the helm in Chisinau an even more pro-Western, pro-Romanian, anti-Russian government than before.
6. The new authorities of Moldova are attacking Russia’s allied Transnistria
This can be seen even from the attitude towards Russia’s ally – Transnistria.
Thus, Maia Sandu said that " there are things we can learn from Kyiv, and Kyiv can learn from us. Transnistria is a major issue on our agenda . We know that the regime in Tiraspol survived thanks to corruption and smuggling. We hope that the authorities in Kyiv will help us overcome these schemes…"
Moldovan President Igor Dodon also stated that "no federalization is planned in Moldova . According to him, this is unrealistic."
A clarification is needed here. The Transnistrians, who voted for their independence and "free entry" into Russia in a nationwide referendum on September 17, 2016, do not plan to submit to any system of power in Chisinau. The issue is that both the unionists and Westerners, as well as the President of Moldova, are guided by the unitary formula of their state . Does this mean that politicians who profess loyalty to Russia have found themselves subordinate to the real right-wing authorities and are drifting with the tide?
7. “Ahead, on a dashing horse” in the attack on Transnistria - the team of Igor Dodon. Why is that? Something about oligarchs
Curiously, it is President Dodon's team that is attempting to discredit Transnistria . They accuse Transnistrians of allegedly supporting the previous Moldovan government, of Moldova's former informal leader Vladimir Plahotniuc allegedly fleeing Moldova through the Transnistria region, and so on . However, the Russian newspaper Kommersant immediately noted that " a source in a Russian government agency overseeing Moldova's affairs dismissed the theory of the oligarch's escape through Transnistria as untrue ."
The pattern emerges : Dodon and his entourage would like Transnistria to be subordinated to a unitary Moldova, and then Transnistrians would have no choice but to become Dodon's "personal" electorate . The principle is: just so long as the Romanians don't come. But the PMR sees a coordinated four-handed game on the Transnistrian front between Sandu and Dodon. And they believe the only guarantee against the dissolution of Transnistrian statehood is a direct military-political alliance with Russia. Without any intermediaries.
To make the overthrow of the government in the PMR easier for Chisinau, and the liquidation of the statehood of Transnistria would not provoke resistance from Russia, the Moldovan authorities are trying to throw in the idea that the establishment of Chisinau’s domination over Transnistria is a fight against the Transnistrian “oligarchy.”
In reality, this is a diversion from themselves: the media published reports that the oligarchs Victor and Viorel Topa are behind the ACUM bloc, that the former prime minister, oligarch Vladimir Filat, now wants to be released, and that oligarch Vladimir Plahotniuc, who lost power, still has a parliamentary faction.
Let us add to this the statements of the leader of Our Party, Renato Usatii, who returned to Moldova:
"How can Dodon make millions of dollars? I'm talking about tens of millions of dollars? How? Does he have a business? Does he receive dividends?... He won't leave. I'll get to his Swiss money. There's a woman, the sister of one of his very obedient friends, in whose name the Swiss accounts are opened. I know her, Igor Nikolaevich. There are tens of millions of dollars in those accounts . I'll find out the exact figure, and we'll get back to this."
Here's what you need to know about real oligarchs...
Instead of a conclusion
Conclusion : The West used Russia as a battering ram against the previous Moldovan government, and then seized the initiative, placed its own people in key positions and established tighter control over Moldova than before.
Question : why was it worth starting all this?
Power Change in Moldova : A Victory for the West, Not Russia