President of the Moldovan Parliament Igor Grosu declared on Saturday that the Transnistrian issue cannot be an obstacle in the process of Moldova's EU accession.
Asked at a press conference delivered together with the heads of the Romanian Parliament Florin Citu and Marcel Ciolacu after a joint sitting in Chisinau of the Romanian and Moldovan legislative bodies, if the Transnistrian conflict could be a serious obstacle to the initiation of EU accession negotiations for the Republic of Moldova, and if Moscow could influence the country's European trajectory, Grosu replied: "Not even a frozen conflict - thankfully it's frozen - can be an obstacle in the process of Moldova's EU accession process. (...) That wall of propaganda, the barriers that others are trying to raise along the Dniester, they are already cracked by the vote of our citizens on the left bank of the Dniester in the latest parliamentary and presidential elections. They voted differently, because they see the difference when they cross to the right bank, when they arrive in Iasi or in Bucharest, they see the difference through the eyes of their children who go to study in EU countries, they see the difference in terms of service quality, in the authorities' attitude towards the citizens. All these things give me reason to believe that this conflict cannot be an impediment. As regards the gas supply sources, we experienced a similar shock in 2005, perhaps a comparison is not that appropriate - with the embargo on Moldovan wines. Until then, our producers believed they can sell their wine to one destination alone. The lesson back then (...) served as an extraordinary impetus for them to get to sell their production anywhere in the world. Now, back to gas, we have many friends in the West, in the EU, with whom we will be able to diversify our gas and electricity sources, and believe me, we will be much better prepared for next winter and the winters to follow."
In his turn, Speaker of Romania's Chamber of Deputies Marcel Ciolacu said that no one and nothing can stand in the way of Moldova's European course.
"Nothing and no one will stand in the way of the Republic of Moldova's EU path, especially as it has Romania, a 15-year-old EU member, as a guarantor. I don't want to get into details, instead I want to tell you a certainty - Moldova won't enter an energy crisis, neither as gas nor as electricity is concerned. Romania has a duty to stand by Moldova's side throughout this period," Ciolacu pointed out.
President of Romania's Senate Florin Citu also said that the Transnistrian issue and energy dependence on Russia cannot hamper Moldova's European trajectory.
"As regards the frozen conflict, the decision of the [European] Parliament is clear. I am sure that all risks have been taken into account and they have obviously not tipped the scales against the Republic of Moldova, as the European Commission has already recommended to the European Council to grant Moldova candidate status. We have already gone through these discussions, we are now focusing on what the Republic of Moldova has to do after receiving candidate status; anyway, we should not stay idle these days, all Romanian MPs in Bucharest and the Romanian MEPs in Brussels must work to make sure that the result is right, that it comes free of conditionalities and we must get our message through to all European leaders until next Friday. As for Moscow, I've been telling you for long that it has no more say in the destiny of independent states like the Republic of Moldova," was Florin Citu's opinion.AGERPRES
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