Gherasimov on Prank Call: Published Phrases Were Taken Out of Context

Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration Cristina Gherasimov held a phone conversation with well-known Russian pranksters Vovan and Lexus, believing she was speaking with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Albania. During the conversation, the official addressed the difficulties in Moldova’s EU accession process and suggested that President Maia Sandu is also concerned and frustrated by the slow pace of negotiations, omniapres.md reports. According to the published fragments, Moldovan authorities were expecting the official opening of accession negotiations as early as this spring, but signals from European capitals turned out to be ambiguous. “I am a bit concerned that there is no concrete information from Berlin. We were really hoping to see some progress at the European Political Community summit, and then we learned that Chancellor Merz would not be participating,” Gherasimov allegedly said. The deputy prime minister noted that after recent meetings in Yerevan, she had the impression that there was no particular urgency within the European Union regarding Moldova’s accession process. “My personal impression after these meetings is that there is no rush, at least when it comes to the official opening of negotiations. From Yerevan we did not receive very positive signals,” she said. Following the publication of the prank, the deputy prime minister issued a statement saying that as Moldova advances on its European path, attempts by the Russian Federation to manipulate and discredit this process are also intensifying.