Another Moldovan region seeks Russia’s “protection” and stronger ties with Moscow
- 29 February, 12:15
Moldova’s pro-Russian Gagauzia region has asked for Russia’s protection, days after a similar request was made by the country’s breakaway Transnistria region.
The governor of Gagauzia region Yevgenia Gutsul said on Friday that the region wants to develop relations with Russia and enjoy Russian support. Gutsul made these remarks while addressing a meeting with Russian upper house speaker Valentina Matvienko in Moscow.
“We have been friends for many years, decades, and have good relations with the Russian Federation. We want to continue [so], we want to continue to have support from the Russian Federation. We want, at a minimum, to get to Russia without transfers, without complications in logistics, because it’s very difficult now,” Gutsul said.
Furthermore, she accused Moldova’s pro-Western government of what she described as “oppressing” the region’s pro-Russian residents, saying that this “crosses all boundaries”.
Matviyenko responded by praising "the expansion of ties between our regions and Gagauzia", stressing that 10 Russian constituent regions have signed agreements with Moldova’s autonomous region. "There is an autonomous territorial unit, Gagauzia, which cares about its citizens, which wants to develop, which wants to improve the welfare of its citizens… And if the leaders of Gagauzia are willing to cooperate in this way, we will provide all possible assistance to strengthen and expand our ties,” Russian media quoted Matviyenko as saying.
Yevgenia Gutsul was elected as Gagauzia’s governor in last year’s election that has been described as fraudulent by Moldova’s central government. Her visit to Moscow raises concerns that Moldova might be the next target of Putin’s expansionist ambitions.
Gagauzia is the second Moldovan region to seek closer ties with Russia. On February 28, Transnistria breakaway region that split from Moldova following the war in the early 1990s, asked Vladimir Putin to protect their region from what they claim are threats from Moldova’s central government.
Moldova shares its eastern border with Ukraine and is believed to be next in line for Russia's war of aggression due to its pro-EU stance. Moldova was granted EU membership candidate status in 2022, with plans to become a member of the union by 2030. The country’s leader Maia Sandu last year accused Vladimir Putin of plotting a coup to overthrow the country’s democratic government.
