| REPRESSION IN MOLDOVA CATCHES THE ATTENTION OF EUROPEAN INSTITUTIONS 27/04/2009 |
| (2009-04-27) |
| Last updated: 2009-04-28 13:35 EET |
Tensions between Romania and the ex-Soviet Republic of Moldova, with a predominantly Romanian speaking population, remain deep after the anti-communist protests which have taken place in Kishinev early this month, and in which people have been killed or wounded. The communist president Vladimir Voronin last Friday rejected the accreditation of the new Ambassador of Romania to Kishinev, which is viewed by Bucharest as “awkward, ostentatious and inimical.” On the other hand, Kishinev continues its repression of protesters, at a time when the Republic of Moldova is in the focus of attention of democratic international institutions, which have sent assessment missions to the city.
Romanian writer Horia Roman Patapievici states in a feature article that quote “Moldovan communists play outside the democratic game, although they pretend to play by its rules. The repressive potential of a regime that seemed to serve the motions of communism has broken out, shifting without hesitation from ‘get real, we are democratic, too’ to ‘we’ll kill you all unless you stop fooling around!’” On the other hand, escalating tensions between Romania and the Republic of Moldova are a regional instance of the geopolitical clash between the West and the East, which goes much beyond the relation between the two neighbouring states.
As former Romanian diplomat and incumbent leader of the Social Democratic Party Mircea Geoana put it, “this is a situation we haven’t seen in Europe for 20 years: two neighbouring states, which are very close in terms of ethnicity, culture and geography, no longer have bilateral political and diplomatic dialogue.” At a delicate moment, with Romania’s reputation on the line, the rage of Moldovan communists has deepened, particularly after Romania’s President Traian Basescu requested a simplification of procedures regarding the granting of Romanian citizenship to the Moldovans who used to be Romanian citizens, but lost this status through no fault of their own, for instance when the Soviet Union annexed much of today’s Moldovan territory, at that time part of Romania.
Curiously enough, it was not only Kishinev, but also some in the European Union, which reacted to this measure. Analyst Dan Dungaciu writes, “Torn by its own crises and failures, institutional Europe proves it is not willing to engage in any major battle in the name of its neighbourhood. The EU wants stability, rather than enlargement.”
Between Kishinev’s anti-Romanian rhetoric and the Europeans’ caution, the Romanian diplomacy is bound to give answers to prove to its western partners that the dispute on River Prut affects not only Romania, but all other countries in the region.
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2025-04-03
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