On September 7, Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold talks with his Moldovan counterpart Igor Dodon, the Kremlin’s press service reports.
“The parties will discuss current issues of Russian-Moldovan cooperation,” the statement reads on the official website of the head of the Russian Federation.
A few days before the summit, Dodon said that he intends to discuss with Putin the gas issue, "so that there is no increase in tariffs for end consumers." In addition, according to analysts, the parties will touch upon topics such as military cooperation, regional security and the settlement of the Transnistrian conflict.
At the end of August, the President of Moldova at a meeting with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced that Chisinau is resuming strategic partnership with Moscow in all areas.
“In recent years, we have had very good relations at the level of senior management. Now there are contacts and normal relations have been resumed at the level of parliaments, ”RIA Novosti quoted Dodon as saying.
The leader of Moldova also thanked the Russian side for the assistance provided to the republic.
“This applies to the economy, and our migrants, and other issues that we discussed with the President of Russia, and decisions were made promptly,” Dodon said.
Recall that at a previous meeting with Putin, the Moldovan leader emphasized that Russia is a strategic partner for Moldova.
“Our peoples have always had fraternal relationships that have been tested for centuries,” said Dodon.
A few days before the meeting of the leaders of Russia and Moldova, the vice-premier of the republic, Vasily Shova, said in an interview with RIA Novosti that Chisinau was interested in reaching a whole new level of relations with Moscow. According to him, for this there is "the mood of the government, parliament and the president."
“Configured in partnership”
According to experts, Chisinau appreciates Russia's support in difficult times for the republic and is ready to build partnership with Russia.
In June, the President of Moldova expressed gratitude to the Russian leadership for the fact that Moscow recognized the new government in the country. He wrote about this on his Facebook page.
“I thanked the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia for recognizing the new legitimate authority of Moldova and supporting our efforts to maintain stability in the country,” he wrote.
Earlier, Vladimir Putin, in an interview with Mir, said that Russia will continue to provide assistance to the Moldovan leader amid the crisis in the country.
“We will certainly support both President Dodon and his current partners in the coalition so that they will get rid ... of those people who usurped power in Moldova until recently,” the Russian leader said.
He also expressed hope for further cooperation in the interests of the two countries.
Recall that in June a government crisis erupted in Moldova. As a result of the parliamentary elections held this winter, the Democratic Party lost a majority. Meanwhile, the Socialist Party, which supports the Dodon course, and the pro-European block Acum (“Now”) did not gain a majority, but subsequently agreed to form a ruling coalition.
- Polling station during the parliamentary elections in Moldova
- Reuters
- © Vladislav Culiomza
At the same time, the Democratic Party refused to admit its failure and tried to return to power. The Democratic-controlled Constitutional Court attempted to dissolve the coalition and call new elections. However, in the end, the crisis was overcome, while the leading representatives of the Democratic Party left the republic.
The key issue for Moscow in these negotiations will be “building good neighborly economic and political relations” with the Republic of Moldova, Igor Shishkin, deputy director of the Institute of CIS Countries, believes.
“When the Democratic Party was in power, this political force led Moldova at the rate of breaking trade, economic and political ties with Russia. Now the main goal of the parties is to restore mutually beneficial relations between Moscow and Chisinau, ”the expert explained in an interview with RT.
"Economic interests"
According to analysts, one of the most important at the upcoming meeting between Putin and Dodon will be the "gas issue".
In anticipation of negotiations with the Russian leader, the President of Moldova said that the parties have to make a final decision on gas supplies, "so that there is no increase in tariffs for end consumers." This Dodon told reporters.
According to him, this topic is of fundamental importance "especially in view of the approaching winter and the new heating season."
“My task as the president of the country is to do everything so that citizens do not suffer, so that there are no tariff increases. And I’m doing it very hard. If it will be necessary to once again go to Moscow for this purpose, I will go, ”the Moldavian president of RIA Novosti quotes.
At the end of July, Dodon said that he hoped to get a gas discount from the Russian side for Moldova, provided transit through Ukraine was maintained.
“If we do not get a discount from Gazprom for current supplies ... then we will have to increase tariffs. Last week ... I officially asked the Russian president to give us a discount from September 1, ”Dodon said on the air of the RTR Moldova television channel.
At the same time, according to him, the situation will worsen if Moscow stops the transit of gas through the territory of Ukraine.
“If there will be transit, then we need to agree on the price of gas for the next year and discuss the conditions of transit. If there is no transit, then it is difficult for us to count on a reverse, since this is a technically difficult process, ”the Moldovan leader explained.
- GIM Causeni
- © moldovagaz
Recall that Moldova buys “blue fuel” from the Russian company “Gazprom” under an agreement signed more than ten years ago, its validity ends on December 31 of this year.
Moldova has certain “economic interests” with regard to Russia, says Pavel Feldman, deputy director of the Institute for Strategic Studies and Forecasts at RUDN University.
“If Moscow agrees to give Chisinau a discount on gas, which Dodon is asking for, then the Russian side will have every reason to ask in return to strengthen military-strategic cooperation between the countries. In particular, Moscow will expect the republic to abandon rapprochement with NATO, ”the expert explained.
According to Feldman, Moldova may well take such a step, given that Dodon is partnering with Russia.
“In addition, the parliament was nevertheless able to clear from the destructive oligarchic elements after the political crisis,” the analyst said.
Prospects for Military Cooperation
During the upcoming meeting, Russian and Moldovan leaders will also discuss regional security issues and military cooperation, analysts predict.
Moldova and Russia outlined prospects for the development of partnership in the military sphere. This was stated by Igor Dodon during talks with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu in late August.
In July, his Moldovan counterpart Pavel Voicu also met with the head of the Russian Defense Ministry in Moscow. Then the Minister of Defense of Moldova stressed that Russia is a "reliable ally" for the republic.
“Today, it’s also important for us to maintain stability and strengthen friendly relations with all countries, and not to be friends with someone against someone,” Voiku said.
At the same time, the Moldovan side thanked Moscow for its position on the settlement of the conflict in Transnistria.
“We are grateful for the recent statement (by the Russian Foreign Minister. - RT ) Sergei Lavrov, who said that it is necessary to develop a dialogue on the prospects for a political settlement, while maintaining emphasis on strengthening peace and confidence. Something needs to be changed, otherwise we will slip, and this will give a negative connotation to the entire 5 + 2 format, ”said Vasily Shova, Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration, in an interview with RIA Novosti on September 4.
He noted that Chisinau expects to convince international partners of the need to engage in a political settlement of the Transnistrian conflict next year. According to the Deputy Prime Minister, the parties have about six months to develop approaches to solving this issue.
On the eve of the meeting with the Russian president, the Moldovan leader said that the consensus of Russia, the United States and the European Union on Transnistria is an example of conflict resolution. He wrote about this on his Facebook page after the summit with UN Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs, Peace Consolidation and Peacekeeping Operations, Miroslav Jenča.
Negotiations on a Transnistrian settlement in the “5 + 2” format are conducted between Chisinau and Tiraspol as parties to the conflict, with Russia, Ukraine and the OSCE acting as mediators, while the European Union and the United States are observers.
Recall that Transnistria, whose population is 60% Russians and Ukrainians, sought to secede from Moldova before the collapse of the Soviet Union, because it was afraid of the Moldavian republic joining Romania. In 1992, when Chisinau failed to resolve the conflict by force, Transnistria became virtually uncontrollable territory of the Moldovan authorities.
- Militia members patrol the road to Transnistria
- RIA News
- © I. Zenin
Meanwhile, a few days before meeting with the Russian president, Dodon went to Brussels to negotiate, including with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, intending to discuss regional security. During the summit with a representative of the North Atlantic Alliance, the Moldovan leader said that the republic has a neutral status, enshrined in the Constitution. The head of Moldova wrote about this on his Facebook page.
Being the leader of a small state around which the countries belonging to the North Atlantic bloc are located, Dodon cannot ignore such a neighborhood and is forced to engage in dialogue with the leadership of NATO, Igor Shishkin believes.
“At the same time, Dodon repeatedly opposed all forms of drawing Moldova into NATO structures. Another thing is that before he had little authority to prevent this, but now there are more of them, ”the expert noted.
According to Shishkin, at the meeting, Russian and Moldovan leaders will address the issue of resolving the Transnistrian conflict, since it is the most acute for the republic. At the same time, the analyst added that it was thanks to the Russian peacekeepers in the territory of Transnistria that for a long time there was no war and people did not die.
“It was Russia that at one time stopped the aggression of the nationalist-minded leadership of Moldova, which was going to destroy its own population,” the expert noted.
Shishkin also added that the Russian-Moldovan military partnership at this stage has good prospects.
“Since the new Minister of Defense of Moldova is a representative of political forces advocating the independent development of Moldova and the development of good neighborly relations with Russia,” the analyst concluded.