Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova's reply to a question from Rossiya Segodnya on Russia's alleged plans to build closer ties with Moldova
24 March 2023 11:19
542-24-03-2023
Question: Süddeutsche Zeitung has recently reported on documents allegedly confirming that Moscow has devised a plan for building closer ties with Moldova. What would be you comment on this?
Maria Zakharova: Insinuations regarding Moldova have been in no short supply lately in both the Moldovan and European public spaces. Recently, the media ran a planted story speculating that Russia had some kind of a plan to destabilise the situation in the Republic of Moldova, and that it was Zelensky who alerted Chisinau to this plan. We have already exposed this as fake news. Today, you are asking me about an article in the German press about Russia's would be "rapprochement" with Moldova, albeit with the same implications. The effort to spread rumours of this kind clearly aims to provoke an artificial escalation and disrupt ties between our countries and people.
Of course, there is nothing wrong with Russia and Moldova building closer ties. In fact, the two countries have a shared past and culture, their economies are intertwined, and they form a single spiritual and civilisational whole, as well as share close people-to-people contacts. We always stood and will stand for constructive, pragmatic and mutually respectful dialogue with Chisinau.
We have all the tools we need at our disposal to achieve this, primarily a solid contractual legal framework. We have intergovernmental and inter-parliamentary commissions, and work together within the same integration structures. In addition, we share extensive trade, economic, cultural and humanitarian ties. Most importantly, the fact that the people of our countries are committed to upholding friendly and mutually beneficial relations between Moldova and Russia is a fundamental factor. We are certain that we must work together in their interests.
It is, however, unfortunate that we have not seen any willingness on behalf of officials in Chisinau to meet us halfway on this. On the contrary, they made a counterproductive choice to whip up anti-Russian hysteria. As recently as on March 17, 2023, President Maia Sandu went as far as make groundless statements about "the Kremlin's agents" and Russia's efforts to "bring war to Moldova" in her remarks at the parliament. The same day, she made a televised appearance in which she referred to the decision by the International Criminal Court - legally void but backed and advertised by the West - and came down to outright slander saying that the Russian leadership "bore personal responsibility for the war crimes perpetrated in Ukraine." All this is at odds with reality. It is the Kiev authorities who bear "personal responsibility" for the war crimes, and evidence of that is out there for everyone to see every day. I would like to remind the decision-makers in Moldova that those wearing uniforms of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and proudly demonstrating emblems of criminal Banderite nationalist battalions inspired by the German Nazis, and those running around Bankovaya Street dressed in khaki T-shirts, as well as those who have been issuing criminal orders to destroy civilian infrastructure and kill civilians in Donbass since 2014, and now also in the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions, as well as those performing these orders are the actual killers.
Therefore, it is up to officials in Chisinau to improve Russia-Moldova relations. We expect them to be able to muster the willpower in order to see through the situation and opt for bringing relations with Russia back to normal. We believe that this would serve the interests of the people of Moldova.
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