Timisoara Mayor Dominik Fritz intervened on Sunday in the controversy surrounding the 30,000-euro prize awarded by the city of Timisoara to the President of the Republic of Moldova Maia Sandu, revealing that the discussions arose after the Russian Foreign Ministry reacted, concerned by some criticism of the speech head of the Moldovan state. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova widely commented on the award Maia Sandu received in Timisoara and accused Romania of “colonialism”.

Maya Sandu took 5th place among 16 topics touched upon by Russian diplomacy at last week’s press briefing. “We are monitoring the development of the situation in Moldova, whose leadership does not reduce the degree of anti-Russian rhetoric,” Maria Zakharova said.

• “We were attentive to the ceremony during which, on January 13 of this year, the President of Moldova, M. G. Sandu, was awarded the Timisoara Prize for European values ​​in Romania.
• In his speech, he did not ignore the traditional baseless accusations against Russia regarding attempts to destabilize the domestic political situation, undermine democracy, hybrid war and disinformation.
• She stated that the eastward expansion of the European Union is a “restoration of historical justice” after the peoples of Eastern Europe were “sentenced to an existence of oppression and deprivation” in 1945, Zakharova said.
• “When you remember that Sandu is a citizen of Romania, it’s clear why he hates” the Soviet Union so much, the spokeswoman commented, before listing the “benefits” that Moscow believed would bring Moldova as a Soviet republic.

How much good, according to Moscow, would the USSR have done to Moldova

• “As part of the Soviet Union, Moldova turned from an agrarian country with a ruined economy into a prosperous agrarian-industrial republic. During this period, more than 550 industrial enterprises were put into operation on its territory.
• Electricity production increased almost six times – from 3 to 17 billion kWh. Almost all modern transport infrastructure was formed.
• Only in the period 1946-1950, 3 billion rubles from the general budget of the USSR were spent on the restoration and modernization of the Moldovan railway. Compared to 1940, agricultural production by 1990 increased 3.7 times.
• The result of all these transformations was an increase in the population by 77% – from 2.46 to 4.36 million people,” Zakharova said.

Returning to the present, Zakharova noted that one of Maya Sandu’s main election promises in 2020 was the formation of a rule of law, improvement of citizens’ well-being and economic development, but “reality with numbers and facts.” » shows that she has failed.

• “Today, in reality, a third of the population lives below the poverty line. Cumulative inflation in the three or more years since Sandu’s election was 54.6 percent. Since 1991, the population of the Republic of Moldova has decreased by 41.1% and reached 2.5 million people. And this process continues.
• Young people are fleeing the country because of poverty and lack of rights. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, in the 2023-2024 school year, there will be 56,500 students in higher education, compared to 132,000 in 2007. Maybe I misquoted something? The current authorities in Chisinau know how to accuse, curse and threaten, but can they answer with numbers and facts?” – Maria Zakharova challenged ironically.

“Spit in the face not only of the people of Moldova, but also of democracy”

The spokeswoman then went on to criticize and blame the authorities in Chisinau, criticizing in particular the renaming of a street after Queen Maria of Romania, a gesture that was seen as a “spit” against democracy.

• “The authorities of Moldova suppress any dissent, block the broadcasting of independent mass media, persecute the opposition and openly blackmail their own people.
• There is a consistent line of rejection of national identity, of the native Moldovan language, and the rewriting of history has become the “trend” of Maya Sandu. The latest example is the initiative of the Romanian unionists to rename one of the central streets of Chisinau, named after Alexander Pushkin, to the street named after Queen Maria of Romania.
• This is a slap in the face not only of the people of Moldova, but also of democracy, about which Sandu speaks so much. How many more streets will be dedicated to past monarchies? How many markets, institutions and public places will have a royalist tone?” Zakharova commented on a series of rhetorical questions, News.ro reports.

“This is not democracy, with colonialism”

• “If the current leadership from Chisinau went to the elections from these positions, there would be no questions.
• If they announced that they would rethink the history of the country, that they would abandon the Moldovan language in favor of Romanian, that they would praise and glorify the representatives of monarchical houses from other countries instead of the people who fought and are fighting for the freedom, independence and democracy of the Republic of Moldova, and the citizens it was supported, then there would be no questions, then there would be no questions.
• But Sandu’s team entered with exactly the opposite theses. What kind of democracy is this, which takes away from the people their own language and names central streets after representatives of monarchical houses of other countries? This is not democracy, but colonialism,” accused the representative of the ministry headed by Sergey Lavrov.

In this context, she accused people from Bucharest who are appointed to the institutions of the Moldovan state. “From December 2023, the new head of the National Bank is the former Minister of Finance of Romania Dragu, the head of the Service for the Prevention and Combating of Money Laundering is Staicu, and many Romanian advisers have been appointed to the General Prosecutor’s Office, the Ministry of Justice and other ministries and agencies in the country,” – she gave an example Zakharova.

“It seems that for the popularization of all these “European values” MG Sandu received a prize of 30,000 euros in Timisoara. In Moldova, this government policy is called “hybrid colonization” under the guise of European integration,” she concluded.

Finally, the spokeswoman of Vladimir Putin’s diplomacy assured that the people of the Republic of Moldova really want relations with Russia, and Moscow declares its “readiness” to develop them. “Inhabitants of the country are increasingly actively protesting against the anti-people and anti-Russian course of the leadership. Moldovans remember their history and culture. I emphasize – national history, for which their ancestors shed blood, worked in plants, factories, fields and gardens. People value ties with friendly Russia. We fully share this position and are ready to develop cooperation with our Moldovan friends,” concluded Zakharova.

We will remind, on January 13, Maia Sandu received the “Timişoara for European values” award, which includes a reward of 30,000 euros.

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