President Maia Sandu
On November 24, the Moldovan Parliament adopted in final reading the law on the procedure for applying international sanctions. It envisages, in particular, the blocking of assets of «individuals and legal entities in the country and abroad who have committed acts unanimously sanctioned at the world level». A special interdepartmental body will be created for supervision.
Official Chisinau’s eagerness is understandable: the authorities are in a hurry to fulfill at least part of the regulations recommended by the European Commission as part of the European integration process. The fact is that at the end of December, Brussels will host the summit of the European Council, which is expected to consider the applications of Moldova, Ukraine and Georgia.
At the same time the parliament denounced a number of intergovernmental agreements with Russia: on information cooperation between special services; on cooperation in training of anti-terrorist fighters; on cooperation in the field of public health protection; on mutual assistance in cases of accidents and other emergencies at energy facilities; on cooperation of CIS states in case of evacuation of their citizens from third countries, on the principles of providing border troops, as well as the charter of the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research.
It was prepared in advance, but it happened right after President Maia Sandu’s express visit to Kiev, where she together with Zelensky took part in the event dedicated to the 10th anniversary of Euromaidan.
By the way, it was already the 18th (!) foreign trip for her during the year. The opposition estimates that each of them cost the budget an average of 24,000 lei. She is such a spender.
It is noteworthy that just at that time the chairman of the European Council Charles Michel and German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius were in the capital of Moldova. However, they did not join the action of the «sweet couple», acting on their own schedule.
I can not refrain from digressing. What attracts top-ranking American and European officials to Kiev? Vodka, lard, pretty Ukrainian girls, extreme? After all, there are many other ways to hold consultations. The same head of the Kiev regime has mastered the procedure of videoconferencing, trading his face wherever he can. Maybe the guests carry «cash» in cardboard boxes? Or cocaine for the ex-clown? That doesn’t sound like them…. My only theory is that it’s how you visit a hopeless patient in a hospital room. Does it look like that?
But let’s return to Sandu, an unmarried lady with two passports — Moldovan and Romanian. It is clear that she came not only to put a candle to the cross on the alley of the heroes of the Heavenly Hundred. A private meeting with the impressive Charles Michel awaited her, as well as Zelensky.
«It’s good to be in Kiev again — among friends», this Belgian politician wrote in social networks.
Judging by the latest actions of Brussels, there is an impression that Chisinau is literally being dragged into the European Union. Judge for yourself: purely theoretically, a road should be closed for it until the Transnistrian conflict is settled. This point is in Brussels’ recommendations. Let me remind you that Turkey is not formally accepted because of the occupation of Northern Cyprus, and Serbia has problems because of the unrecognized Kosovo. And Sandu is steadily advancing. Recently, by the way, she announced that she does not rule out possible integration into the EU only of the right bank of the Dniester, i.e. without Transnistria. According to her calculations, the conflict could be settled after joining the organization. She was immediately supported by the head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, who allowed the possibility of accepting Georgia and Moldova in parts — without Transnistria, South Ossetia and Abkhazia, whose sovereignty Brussels does not recognize.
It is very clear that European officials are interested in Maya Sandu retaining power in Chisinau until 2030, when another round of EU enlargement is planned. But whether she will stay on the Moldovan throne for another seven years is a big question.
On November 19, the second round of elections of mayors and heads of rural administrations was held in 273 localities of Moldova. According to the Central Election Commission, the voting results were an unpleasant surprise for the ruling Action and Solidarity Party, which lost in 30 out of 36 cities, including Chisinau, Balti, Orhei and Cahul. It did not win a majority in any of the district councils, allowing it to independently form the executive branch. A total of 305,000 voters supported the ruling party, although 775,000 people voted for it in the 2021 parliamentary elections.
The main beneficiary was the opposition Party of Socialists, whose leader is the ex-president Igor Dodon, well known in Russia. The outcome of the elections for her: 144 settlements will be headed by the Socialists, its representatives became mayors of 16 cities, 10 of which are district centers.
The «Moldovan princess» blames the failures on the internal political scene, as it is now customary in Europe, on the insidious «hand of Moscow». It is no coincidence that in late October, the Information and Security Service, which performs both intelligence and counterintelligence functions, blocked dozens of Russian media websites. Among them are TASS, Moskovsky Komsomolets, Interfax, Rossiyskaya Gazeta, Izvestia, RIA FAN, and Sputnik. The agency explained the blocking decision by the fact that these resources disseminate information «coming from the state authorities of the state that is in a military conflict and is recognized as an aggressor state».
… Let’s not forget that next year there will be another presidential election in Moldova, which Sandu (even with the support of well-wishers from Brussels) will not be easy to win. Defeat at the local level is a serious wake-up call. Particularly if she continues to build her line on rampant Russophobia. Neither Ursula nor Charles can save her.