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Russian press: President Ghimpu refuses to participate in OSCE summit
Moldova’s ad interim president Mihai Ghimpu refused to participate in the OSCE summit because the agenda did not include the question of withdrawal of Russian troops from Transnistria. At the same time, president Traian Basescu launched an attack against Moldova, declaring that Russian militaries at Romanian borders threatened his country’s security, Nezavisimaia gazeta wrote.
On the eve of the Astana summit, the leaders of Moldova and Romania made statements against Russia which does not withdraw its troops from Transnistria although it promised to do so more than 10 years ago at a similar meeting in Istanbul.The Russian publication reminded that Ghimpu had requested NATO support recently. In a letter addressed to the general secretary of the Alliance he said that the presence of Russian troops in Moldova represented an infringement of international law and of Moldovan laws. According to its Constitution, Moldova is a neutral state and foreign troops cannot station on its territory. De jure Transnistria is part of Moldova. Ghimpu showed that the Russian military presence is also a source of maintaining Transnistria’s separatism.
Moldova’s deputy premier, Victor Osipov, whom Ghimpu sent together with foreign deputy minister Andrei Popov to Astana in his stead asked OSCE countries to convince Transnistria leaders to resume negotiations in the 5+2 formula.Nezavisimaia gazeta reminds that on the background of an intense Romanization of Moldova, Transnistrian leader Igor Smirnov said he would request Moscow to increase effectives of the peace keeping contingent to 2500 men as it used to be in 1992.
Commenting in context, president Basescu’s declaration about Romania’s concern for the presence of Russian troops in the vicinity of its borders and the possibility of a unification with Moldova in the next 25 years, the publication notes that Bucharest promotes a consistent policy of Moldova’s integration within its borders. The idea of uniting “the two Romanias” has become a sort of priority of president Basescu’s activity. He has often evoked that aspect assuring the citizens of the two countries that the unification will soon take place within EU. It is the first time when Basescu leaves Transnistria beyond the Dnieper showing that EU borders will pass along that river.
Moldova’s premier rejects idea of unification with Romania
Vlad Filat, Moldova’s premier, criticized Traian Basescu’s declaration on the possibility of the unification of the two states in the next 25 years, rejecting the possibility of such a process, top.rbc.ru website writes. Addressing the journalists, the head of Chisinau executive explained that would mean Moldova would become a more powerful country with developed economy and social area, a state which could be part of the European family, expressing his confidence that would happen earlier than 25 years.