European Parliament points finger at Putin: “Stop interference in Moldova”

Brussels – Russia must immediately cease its operations of interference in the democratic life of Moldova ahead of Election Day next October 20, when citizens of the former Soviet republic will go to the polls to choose the new head of state and express their preference about the country’s accession to the European Union. This was put on paper by the European Parliament, which continues to support Chisinau’s path away from Moscow and toward the EU.

The resolution was approved Wednesday (Oct. 9) by the plenary meeting in Strasbourg by a very large majority: 508 votes in favour, 53 against and 104 abstentions, which included the Lega and the Italian delegations of the left (the M5s and the two elected members of Avs who sit in The Left). In the adopted text, MEPs strongly condemned the destabilizing activities that Moscow is carrying out in the Balkan country, in whose democratic process the Kremlin is interfering through a cyber war.

In two weeks, on October 20, Moldovans will have to vote in two important elections: the election of the new president of the Republic and the referendum on Chisinau’s membership in the European club. In this context, the Parliament denounces that the Russian Federation allegedly financed with some €100 million hybrid operations of various kinds to influence voter behaviour.

The East European country’s authorities recently brought to light a large-scale election fraud that was supposed to bribe 100,000 Moldovan citizens by rewarding them with $15 million (about €13.7 million) through oligarch Ilan Shor. And precisely against several individuals who, like Shor, would work to undermine the country’s sovereignty, the MPs are pressing the Council to adopt new sanctions while calling for the extradition to Chisinau of “wanted Moldovan fugitives” like Shor and Vladimir Plahotniuc (who are currently in Russia and Turkey, respectively).

In urging Russian President Vladimir Putin to respect Moldova’s independence, the EU Parliament reiterated for the umpteenth time its call for withdrawing Federation troops from the self-proclaimed separatist republic of Transnistria, a de facto independent strip of land on the border with Ukraine and in which large quantities of arms and ammunition are amassed (e.g., in the Cobasna depot).

Concerning the former Soviet state’s path to the EU, the Strasbourg Chamber urged the Commission to include Chisinau in the Pre-Accession Assistance Instrument (IPA), with which the EU executive supports candidate countries in reforms to meet the so-called convergence criteria. Moldova applied to join the European club in March 2022 and was granted candidate status in June of that year. Last December, the European Council approved the opening of accession negotiations, which formally began in June this year.