BRUSSELS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 09th June, 2019) The European Union has taken note of the formation of the government coalition in Moldova and is ready to work with "the democratically legitimate government," EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini and EU Commissioner Johannes Hahn said in a joint statement on Sunday, reiterating calls for a dialogue and restraint.
The Party of Socialists, which supports rapprochement with Russia, and the pro-EU ACUM bloc signed a cooperation agreement on Saturday and formed a government at a parliament meeting months after the indecisive February elections. The Moldovan Constitutional Court has declared these decisions unconstitutional, while the parliament accused the former ruling pro-EU Democratic Party of using the judiciary, which it says is under the latter's control, to usurp power.
"The European Union takes good note of the decisions taken yesterday by the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova, including on the formation of the government coalition. The European Union stands ready to work with the democratically legitimate government, on the basis of a mutual commitment to reforms and to the core principles enshrined in our Association Agreement," the statement said.
The statement added that democracy and respect for the rule of law should remain the basis for EU-Moldovan relations, noting that "this is also foremost what the citizens of the Republic of Moldova expect and deserve."
Finally, the two commissioners also "strongly" reiterated the EU calls for calm and restraint.
"Dialogue between democratically elected representatives must remain the key to finding a solution to the current political crisis," they stressed.
The Moldovan Constitutional Court has declared the parliament's decisions unconstitutional, believing that the current legislature had until June 7 to form a new government after the elections and, since it failed to do so, should be dissolved.
Earlier on Sunday, the court also ruled to transfer Igor Dodon's presidential powers to Pavel Filip, an ex-prime minister and a member of the Democratic Party. The latter then signed a degree to dissolve the parliament and set snap elections for September 6.
