Moldovan President-elect Maia Sandu has made many statements that may complicate relations with Russia before even assuming office, Konstantin Zatulin, deputy chair of the Russian parliament's lower house committee on CIS affairs, said on Saturday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 21st November, 2020) Moldovan President-elect Maia Sandu has made many statements that may complicate relations with Russia before even assuming office, Konstantin Zatulin, deputy chair of the Russian parliament's lower house committee on CIS affairs, said on Saturday.
On Friday, Sandu told Ukrainian media outlet Evropeyskaya Pravda that, in her opinion, Crimea should belong to Ukraine and Transnistria should reunite with Moldova, which implied the withdrawal of the Russian peacekeeping force from the breakaway state.
"Sandu has not yet started dealing with current affairs, has not even assumed the post, but has already made lots of statements, and each may seriously complicate her future relations with the Russian Federation," Zatulin said.
The lawmaker stressed that the Russian peacekeeping force maintains peace in the region and protects thousands of Russian citizens who live in Transnistria and Moldova.
"I would say that, taking into account such politicians as Sandu and her supporters, the presence of the Russian peacekeepers discourages a desire to expose Transnistria, for example, to any punitive action. Such attempts were already made in 1992, and resulted in no good for Moldova," Zatulin said.
The legislator added that he accepted the Moldovan presidential election result, but maintained a certain attitude to the president-elect, who immediately invited Romanian President Klaus Iohannis to Moldova.
"I do not oppose the development of the Romanian-Moldovan relations, except for the fact that a large part of Sandu's supporters do not care about the sovereignty of their own country and ... are dreaming of its integration into Romania. Furthermore, they would like to join Romania with a dowry in the form of Transnistria, which does not intend to go and join Romania," Zatulin said.
According to the lawmaker, Sandu should understand that there will be fewer chances for Transnistria's re-integration into Moldova if she continues to implement such policy.
On Sunday, the second round of the presidential elections was held in Moldova, in which the citizens elected the head of state for the next four years. The contenders in the second round were incumbent President Igor Dodon, who was running for a second term, and Maia Sandu, the ex-prime minister. According to the Central Election Commission data, Sandu won the race with 57.75 percent of the vote. The inauguration ceremony is planned for late December.
Transnistria, which is mostly populated by ethnic Russians and Ukrainians, seceded from Moldova in 1990, fearing the latter's possible reunion with Romania. The split led to an armed conflict that ended in a 1992 ceasefire. De facto, Transnistria has become a territory out of Chisinau's control. The Russian peacekeeping force has been present in Transnistria for 28 years. Currently, 402 Russian peacekeepers are deployed in the country.
