"On the Margins of International Isolation." What Igor Dodon Went to Munich for

Moldovan President Igor Dodon went to the Munich Conference hoping to prove that there is no international isolation of his power but everything turned out exactly the opposite, RTA expert Semion ALBU said. Semion ALBU, RTA: At the end of last week, the German city of Munich held the next 56th conference on security. The event, although not formal, is indeed one of a status – hundreds politicians, diplomats, businessmen and other respected people from dozens of countries discuss the biggest geopolitical problems and challenges of our time. This year, of course, it was not as presentable as the media close to the socialists tried to show (for example, the hostess of the forum, Chancellor Angela Merkel, missed the event), but still. In general, as a platform for neutral discussions – that’s the very thing. And in this regard, the participation of the head of state in such an event should not seem to raise questions. But there are important nuances. Traditionally, a few days before the start of the conference, the organizers publish an annual security report which usually sets the tone for forum discussions. So it was this year. As you might guess, Moldova was not on the list of priority topics. I’ll even say more - not even a small, fleeting mention of it was there. There are enough hot spots in the world: Syria, Yemen, Ukraine, so that Moldova, even with its unresolved territorial conflict, is far from the most relevant case. In this context, the president’s voyage does not look justified. After all, where is Moldova and where global geopolitical challenges are. We would first have to deal with our internal problems. But maybe, at least, Igor Dodon used the forum site to hold any important meetings? However, looking at the schedule visit, this is definitely not the case. Judging by the posts on Facebook, the Moldovan leader did not discuss anything new, only standard and sore-missed topics: the Transdniestrian conflict, reforms, traditional requests for money. Moreover, the head of state simply did not have any innovative agenda. What can I say, even if Dodon still does not have a clear plan or at least a concept that could be presented to someone in Munich. Therefore, it is not surprising that such an approach to organize a visit, coupled with a general reluctance to speak with Igor Dodon in the West did not lead to anything good. The President wrote about the many meetings held but in fact most of them are difficult to consider being such, even if a stretch. Looking at the photos of Dodon with real political heavyweights like French President Emmanuel Macron and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo one ca clearly see that calling such contacts “meetings” is too much of a deal. The maximum that could happen there was a simple handshake with the exchange of a pair of on-duty phrases out of which Moldova has zero practical use. And with the same Sergey Lavrov who represented Russia at the conference, for some reason there was no meeting at all. So the president basically had to be content with negotiations not corresponding to his status with German deputies, adviser Merkel, etc. It is clear that for Igor Dodon, who, after the Maia Sandu government fall was virtually internationally isolated, every major forum is an opportunity to challenge it (and at the same time additionally promote on flights in economy class and other related surroundings). At least in his homeland every self-respecting opposition leader considers it necessary to reproach him for worsening relations with foreign partners, primarily of course, Western ones. But the tactics of imitating international contacts and “running for photos” each time looks more and more comical and does not add points to the incumbent. Such attempts to cover up the fairly obvious isolation of the current government in the West only shade it more and incite president’s criticism by the right-wing camp. Therefore, if they are not actually waiting for us there, maybe we should not go? Moreover, with the same success such a visit could easily have been made by the Foreign Minister Aureliu Ciocoi. After all, while in Germany the polemic about challenges of global security was on discussion, in the Moldovan capital, members of the Unirea bloc were protesting and advocating for the liquidation of Moldova - and they did it openly, unhindered and with unionist symbols. And such a problem one cannot solve in Munich. Only in Chisinau.