Popsoi: Relations with Russia Are at the Lowest Level in Moldova’s History

The foreign minister said that “as long as hostilities in Ukraine continue, there are no preconditions for improving these relations”. According to him, Russia poses the greatest threat to national security, which is also envisaged in Moldova’s security strategy. Deputy Prime Minister Mihai Popsoi claims the poor relations between Chisinau and Moscow are primarily determined by the atrocities committed by the Russian army in Ukraine and the way the Kremlin challenges Moldova’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. “Relations with Russia are at their lowest point in Moldova’s modern history. This reflects the harsh reality experienced by our region, especially by our Ukrainian neighbors and friends. As long as Ukrainians face inscrutable horrors on a daily basis, we see no preconditions for improving our relations with Russia. As long as this savagery continues, there will be no preconditions. We remain firmly committed to the sovereignty and integrity of Ukraine. There are also Russia’s actions against the sovereignty and integrity of the Republic of Moldova, support for separatism in the Transnistrian region, violation of our sovereignty by refusing to withdraw its troops and ammunition and, most recently, the organization of elections in the Transnistrian region given a clear signal from the Foreign Ministry not to hold elections there. There are also Kremlin agents in Moldova, those who try to subvert the state, destabilize the country, undermine the European integration process, all this is a clear confirmation of what is written in the security strategy. It is written in black and white that the Russian Federation is the main threat to Moldova’s national security,” Foreign Minister Mihai Popsoi said during the programme “Dimensiunea Diplomatică” on the public TV channel. According to him, Moldova will continue denouncing unnecessary agreements with the Commonwealth of Independent States, keeping in force only those agreements with the CIS countries that benefit the citizens. “We have more than 200 agreements with the CIS. We have identified more than 100 agreements that can be cancelled for various reasons. The main one is that these agreements have never been implemented, they have not brought tangible benefits to our citizens. Some of them have already been denounced by a significant part of the CIS countries. Those that are of no use, that have been lying dead weight all these years, will be denounced. In that regard, the process has already begun. The process has already been completed for a fairly small number of agreements, perhaps a few dozen. The agreements that continue to benefit citizens will remain in force,” the foreign minister added. In December 2023, the parliament adopted the National Security Strategy of the Republic of Moldova. The document states that Russia is the main threat to national security in three indicators: the war against Ukraine, the presence of Russian troops on Moldovan territory, and hybrid attacks.