The pro-European Maia Sandu was sworn in as head of state this Tuesday, recognizing that Moldova has a path full of challenges ahead, such as justice reform, energy dependence on Russia, the improvement of an economic sector in crisis and the entry of the country in the European Union. This Tuesday, during his investiture speech, Sandu promised that he will continue fighting so that the country can join the Twenty-seven club before 2030. “Moldova has a dream and we will defend it. We will win the battles one by one, whether they are crises or necessary reforms,” declared the politician, re-elected for the second time in last November’s elections. The renewal of the mandate occurs in full tension with Russia over the energy supply that reaches this European country.
“European integration is our path to security and well-being, but let us not think of it as a first-class ticket to paradise. It is not the miraculous solution to all our problems: the French will not come to do us justice, nor the Danes to collect our waste, nor the Germans to administer our customs,” Sandu continued..
Sandu, the first woman to hold the presidency and the first person to win a second term in Moldova, has assured that the changes will be achieved, even with difficulty. One of the thorniest issues he has referred to is the arrival of intense cold, which could severely affect Moldovans if Ukraine keeps its word to cut off the transit of Russian gas to Europe through the Ukrainian gas pipeline system, which kyiv rejects. prolong. On December 13, the Parliament of Moldova approved a state of emergency in the energy sector for a period of 60 days, due to the risk of interruption of Russian gas supplies to the separatist region of Transnistria.
Moldova’s decision comes in full conflict with the Russian company Gazprom. This asks the Moldovan authorities to pay a historical debt of about 700 million dollars, about 673 million euros, an amount that the Government of Chisinau does not recognize because it is linked to Transnistria, a territory that it has not had under control since the bloody armed conflict. in 1992 in which the separatist region had Russian military assistance. Since then, this frozen Soviet-era conflict has been a tinderbox. Maia Sandu has been calling for some time for the 1,500 Russian soldiers present in the region to withdraw, including from the arsenal guarded by Russian forces that still holds some 20,000 tons of weapons and ammunition, according to the Organization for European Security and Cooperation (OSCE).
“The fact that a harsh winter is coming is no secret. But we will achieve [superarlo]. Together we face the pandemic, inflation and crises of all kinds. We were blackmailed with gas, now we are blackmailed with being left in the dark. It’s not the first time, but the light will win. We will resist to free ourselves from blackmail,” Sandu asserted.
For its part, Moscow has denounced that Chisinau wants to take over the separatist region by force, something that the Moldovan government denied this Monday during a government meeting. Specifically, the Russian secret service (SVR) assures that the head of state conveyed “the need to develop a plan for an operation to take control of Transnistria and end the presence of Russian peacekeepers in the region” during a meeting with members of the Government on energy security. “No one can guarantee that the Moldovan president will not try to unleash a war in the region,” underlines the SVR statement, cited by the official Russian Tass agency.
The SVR also claims that Maia Sandu “went out of her mind” after being informed that Moldova could experience problems with energy supplies when the Gazprom contract expires. According to the SVR note, the Moldovan president has demanded to take by force the Cuciurgan thermoelectric plant, located in Transnistria, which currently produces 80% of the energy needed for Moldova.
On the other hand, President Sandu’s chief of staff, Adrian Balutel, maintained that between Moldovagaz – the Moldovan gas supply company – and Gazprom “there is a clear contract that provides for the delivery of natural gas on the left bank, [donde se encuentra Transnistria] regardless of the transit route.”
The danger of Russian propaganda
Moldovan Prime Minister Dorin Recean declared at the beginning of the government meeting that the false information spread in the public space about the alleged plan is part of the “hybrid war.” “I once again observe a campaign of misinformation and even hysteria. In the public space, a false and apocalyptic scenario is once again being promoted that the Republic of Moldova intends to take control in the Transnistria region through military actions. I say it again: it is part of hybrid warfare. Those who launch such scenarios, I mean the Kremlin, should do what they are obliged to do under the contract: supply natural gas to the left of the [río] Dniester,” Recean stated.
Hours earlier, Balutel stated that “Chisinau remains firmly committed to the peaceful resolution of the conflict, without exception,” stressing that “an essential step to achieve this is the complete and unconditional withdrawal of Russian troops, which are illegally occupying the sovereign territory of Moldova.” For its part, the Reintegration Office accused Moscow of “trying to destabilize the situation in Moldova, spread fear and distrust among citizens and spread insecurity and confrontation in the area.”
In fact, the danger of misinformation has also been addressed by Sandu during his inauguration speech, in which he urged citizens not to be influenced by Russian propaganda. Moscow’s interference in the presidential elections on November 2, which endangered the pro-European victory, is an example of the magnitude of another of the problems that the president will have on the table in the coming years.
