Popescu on Diplomatic Relations with the Russian Federation: It Is Problematic but Communication Is Needed

Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration Nicu Popescu commented on the current diplomatic relations between Russia and Moldova. According to the minister, there is a regular exchange of sincere, but often harsh messages between two countries, tv8.md reports. Nicu Popescu stressed that the Chisinau authorities will continue to “react firmly and calmly to insinuations from the Russian Federation,” although some officials in Moscow have a disrespectful tone. “At this stage, we can state that for more than 30 years, the Russian Federation has pursued a very hostile policy toward the Republic of Moldova: it has supported separatism, launched, supported, fueled quite poisonous disinformation campaigns even before we gained independence. All these factors define and determine very problematic diplomatic relations with the Russian Federation. This situation is caused by Russia’s hostile policy toward Moldova and not only as a state, toward every citizen. On November 23, we were left without light, regardless of political and geopolitical preferences. Russia caused this darkness,” Nicu Popescu said. The deputy prime minister noted that over the past year and a half, all of these things have become much more serious and much more complicated because “Russia decided to prepare and then launch a violent aggression against Ukraine with torture, atrocities, bombings, attacks on energy infrastructure”. Popescu also clarified that diplomatic relations should exist even between countries that are not quite friends. “Diplomatic services exist to have relations with both friendly and unfriendly states. Diplomacy, ambassadors, foreign ministers are not meant to have only friendly relations; on the contrary, they build relations mainly with those with whom they have problems, hostile relations. We regularly exchange very honest, often harsh messages in which we make very clear our rather frank and open position. Obviously, the tone of some representatives of the Russian Federation is very disrespectful. We consider our firm but calm tone justified, because we are not in the market, but we do not want to reduce the culture of cooperation, including the diplomatic field, and we will continue to respond firmly and calmly to all kinds of insinuations,” the MFAEI chief said.