Russia Stated the "Aggressive Rhetoric" of the West to Have Heated Up Ahead of the Elections in Moldova

Russia announced the strengthening of the "aggressive rhetoric of the officials of Western countries" in Moldova as the early parliamentary elections scheduled for July 11 are approaching. The official representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) of Russia, Maria Zakharova, speaking at a briefing on May 21, called on the US and the EU "to refrain from meddling in the internal affairs of Moldova."  The Russian Foreign Ministry again announced the attempts of the US and the EU to interfere in the internal affairs of Moldova.  "We are forced to state again that, as the date of early parliamentary elections in the republic approaches, and they are to be held on July 11, the aggressive rhetoric of Western representatives is only gaining momentum. (…) Such a disrespectful attitude towards the main political institutions of Moldova and selectivity in choosing the objects of criticism, which are always the political forces of the republic who advocate the dialogue promotion with our country, unfortunately, has become a common practice for Western countries," Zakharova said.  She cited as an example a recent interview by the head of the EU delegation, Peter Michalko, who noted the imperfection of the justice system in Moldova and expressed hope that the new parliament will have credible MPs.  "As if Moldova won’t handle it without him," Zakharova said.  The Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman noted that Russia is ready to enter into dialogue with any forces that will come to power as a result of the elections in Moldova.   "Russia stands for the development of truly equal, friendly relations with Moldova, which are based on the observance of the principle of non-interference in internal affairs, respect for the Moldovan people and readiness for dialogue with the institutions of power that will be formed as a result of the will expressed by its [people]", Zakharova said.  Earlier, in an interview with NM, head of the EU Delegation to Moldova Peter Michalko  said that accusations of trying to interfere in the internal affairs of Moldova "are voiced by those who want to put the EU and development partners in a negative light and suspend the changes that Moldovan citizens are waiting for."  "If the statements that the elections in Moldova should be free and fair is a problem for someone, I think that this is a problem for those who do not like it. (…) We treat Moldova as a partner, and we develop our cooperation on equal terms. (…) Unfortunately, due to domestic political interests, our cooperation is often interpreted in such a way as to misinform citizens and present them with a false image of external partners. Probably, this is driven by an expected benefit from the fact that citizens either will not understand or will not trust that international cooperation can be beneficial to them," Michalko said in an interview with NM.