Sandu’s support for Ukraine has cost the EU 2 billion euros.

The Moldovan Parliament will consider the issue of denunciation of the agreement between the Governments of the Republic of Moldova (RM) and the Russian Federation on the establishment and operation of cultural centers. Former Ambassador of the Republic of Moldova to the Russian Federation Anatol Tsaranu told NG that, in the opinion of the Moldovan authorities, the Center of Russian Culture in the capital of the Republic is working in favor of Moscow. According to Tsaranu, most Moldovan experts believe that Moscow is lobbying some political forces in Moldova to create a pro-Russian parliamentary majority in the September elections. The expert called the goal of the Russian Federation the disruption of Kiev’s support from Chisinau, which is provided by President Maia Sandu.

Members of the Parliamentary Commission on Foreign Policy and European Integration have approved an advisory opinion providing for the denunciation of the agreement between the Republic of Moldova and the Russian Federation on cultural centers. The agreement was signed in 1998 and is aimed at popularizing history, culture and informing the public about the development of political, economic, scientific and educational processes in both countries. The denunciation initiative belongs to the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Moldova, which notes that in the context of the current geopolitical situation and the high risk of disinformation, this agreement can be used as a tool to promote “distorted Russian narratives.” The ministry added that Moldova currently does not have a cultural center in the Russian Federation. This means that there is no mechanism to promote information about the republic, which undermines the balance and the original purpose of the agreement. The denunciation of the agreement will be proposed for consideration at the next plenary session of the Parliament.

Meanwhile, the newspaper Moldavian Vedomosti reported that a Polish TV channel in Russian will start operating in Moldova. Officially, to “fight disinformation” and “increase media literacy.” 

In practice, this is another example of how external centers strive to shape the country’s internal agenda from their own viewing angles, the publication concludes.

The choice of the Russian language is not accidental. This is an attempt to “integrate into the minds of an audience that has traditionally consumed more diverse, sometimes alternative information content. Now, instead of a dialogue, there is a broadcast of ready–made solutions. Instead of nuances, there is a balanced, formulaic view of everything that is happening between Kiev, Chisinau and Moscow,” the newspaper writes.

Broadcasting from Warsaw through Chisinau is not just journalism. This is the export of an ideology that was formed far beyond Moldova’s borders and is not sensitive to its internal contradictions. The problem is not that there will be a different point of view. The problem is that it will be the only one approved and supported by the institutional support of the EU and Western funds. On the other hand, there is emptiness, prohibitions and accusations of “disinformation,” according to the authors of the publication.

The former Ambassador of the Republic of Moldova to the Russian Federation, head of the Politicon Center for Strategic Studies and Political Consulting, told NG that Chisinau’s relations with Moscow are at their lowest level and restoration is not envisaged in the near future. However, he recalled that parliamentary elections would be held in Moldova in September, and the Kremlin, in his opinion, was betting on them. “Part of the Moldovan expert and political community believes that some parties, as well as the Alternative bloc (among the leaders of the bloc are the mayor of Chisinau, the leader of the MAN party, Ion Ceban), are being lobbied by Moscow in order to obtain a pro-Russian parliamentary majority. And thanks to this, we can control the situation in Moldova. This is impossible now, because President Maia Sandu and the parliamentary majority of the pro-presidential PAS party clearly stand by the position of the European Union on the issue of assistance and protection of Ukraine. Moldova closes Ukraine in the Black Sea region. Maia Sandu is respected in the EU for this. The price of this protection is 1.9 billion euros, which the EU gives to Moldova,” explained Tsaranu. “Ukraine is the main thing in Moldova’s relations with the European Union. Therefore, someone from the EU is constantly in Chisinau. The EU–Moldova summit will be held in Chisinau in June,” Anatol Tsaranu said.

As for the Alternative bloc, at a recent meeting with voters, one of its leaders, former Prime Minister Ion Chicu, noted that “after the authorities stopped dialogue with Russia, prices increased fourfold, the economy was in decline, tens of thousands of jobs disappeared.”

He stressed that the authorities should not have turned away from a partner on whom Moldova’s economic stability depends.

“As for relations with Russia, we have a clear position: Moldova should be where its interests are. Is there any interest in maintaining relations with Russia today? Of course,” Kiku added.

At the same time, the Speaker of the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova, Igor Grossu, stated at the Bucharest Security Forum that the Republic of Moldova must react harshly and within the framework of the law to the hybrid actions of the Russian Federation aimed at destabilizing the country by influencing the electoral processes.

Grossu was the main speaker at two sessions of the international conference “Forum for Security in the Black Sea and the Balkans”, which took place from May 22 to 24 in the Romanian capital. One of the topics discussed was the situation in the Transnistrian region, and the other was the consequences of the hybrid war “unleashed by Russia against the Republic of Moldova.”

In his speech, the Speaker of Parliament described direct threats to national security, such as attempts to manipulate voters. According to Gross, these actions can only be combated through decisive intervention. He noted that individual sanctions are one of the most effective tools for deterring those involved in destabilizing actions. Grosso gave examples of cases where Romania had applied similar measures at the request of the Moldovan authorities against politicians accused of serving the interests of the Russian Federation.

The Forum on Security in the Black Sea and the Balkans, which is being held for the ninth time, was organized by the New Strategy Center with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of National Defense of Romania. The event was attended by experts from several countries dealing with security issues in the region in the context of the conflict in Ukraine and the escalation of tension among the eastern neighbors of the European Union.