by Greta Privitera
The Foreign Minister explains the attacks in Transnistria over the past few days. And he adds: “The authorities of the pro-Russian region have asked men of military age not to leave the country.”
He’s called an urgent meeting with the press. Moldovan Foreign Minister Nicu Popescu wanted to explain what is happening in the country. Since April 25, Transnistria, a pro-Russian separatist region strongly reminiscent of Ukraine’s Donbass, has been hit twice, first by an explosion near a ministry’s headquarters, then by an attack on antennas transmitting Russian radio . When the president of the self-proclaimed pro-Russian republic, Vadim Krasnoselsky, said that “traces of terrorist attacks in Transnistria lead to Ukraine,” the most widespread opinion is that these are actions by Russian or pro-Russian forces in Ukraine acts region. Moldova’s Deputy Interior Minister Sergiu Diaconu said so in an interview with the New York Times. Words that probably do not reflect the government’s line. In fact, Popescu cannot publicly confirm them. The feeling is that he can’t for security reasons: “We are a fragile country,” he told us in a previous interview.
The latest news about the war in Ukraine
Can you give us details of the attacks? Who do you think it was?
“What happened in Transnistria in the last 48 hours scares us, it represents a new moment in the history of the region. We are monitoring the situation to get a full picture of what is happening. Certainly there are forces trying to destabilize us, but we cannot blame anyone just yet.”
What is happening in Transnistria?
“Today the authorities asked men of military age not to leave the region. They canceled the May 9 parade, the day Moscow celebrates its victory over the Nazis. This rethinking is a sign of stress».
“We are on high alert. Our President Maia Sandu issued a statement to strengthen security at the borders of Transnistria, Moldova and our infrastructure. We are significantly more endangered than three days ago. But at the same time we do not see any real threat of a military attack for the time being.”
“Because the government and most of the population, including in Transnistria, do not want war. We don’t want to get involved in military affairs. We are doing our utmost to maintain peace in Moldova through dialogue with the pro-Russian authorities, through negotiations and the help of mediators.”
A few days ago, Russian General Rustan Minnakayev said that Putin’s goal is to conquer the southern part of Ukraine and create a corridor that reaches Transnistria?
«Words that do not contribute to the stability of the region, but we immediately received the assurance of the Russian Foreign Minister. He said that Russia recognizes the integrity of Moldova and its borders.”
How is your application to enter the European Union going?
«On March 21, we received the first questionnaire from Europe: 369 questions to understand whether we meet certain criteria for joining the Union. We are now working on another questionnaire with two thousand questions, which we will postpone until mid-May. Our history and our identity are European, we are deeply democratic ».
April 27, 2022 (Change April 27, 2022 | 22:32)
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