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In Bucharest on January 15 to celebrate Romania's National Culture Day, President of Moldova's Parliament Igor Grosu said that there is no imminent danger of the conflict in Transnistria escalating, told Agerpres.
The clarifications came after Grosu was asked about the state of the play in the region after statements made in December by Director of Moldova's Intelligence and Security Service (SIS) Alexandru Musteata that Russia was planning to invade Transnistria.
"Director Musteata meant some analyses based on which generals of the army of the Russian Federation made some statements. Some maps were even presented and from those maps the intention to advance towards Nikolayev, Odessa was very clearly seen, with a junction to Transnistria. At the moment, these dangers do not exist, as we have witnessed the success of the Ukrainian forces in Kherson, the fact that they pushed the invading army across the river. So, at the moment, we do not see an imminent danger of the conflict, the war in Transnistria, escalating. In Transnistria itself, the situation is tense, but at the same time we see a concern at the level of the population, and also at the level of the so-called administration there. All in all, people there do not want escalation. We see that both from dialogue and from behaviour. So far, we have managed to maintain stability, and I hope to maintain it in the future as well," said Grosu.
Regarding the remains of a missile found in Moldova on Saturday after a new wave of Russian attacks on Ukraine, Grosu said that was the third incident of such kind.
"All the actions we've taken so far - which have triggered a wave of criticism from the Fifth Column that we unfortunately have to put up with - have been the right actions. We've practically doubled our defence spending. We still have a long way to go to properly secure the airspace, to protect it. The fact that we are a neutral state in the Constitution does not exempt us from the obligation to invest in defence. We will continue to do so, with our resources, but also with the help of our partners. (...) We talk constantly with the Romanian side; we are also in constant contact with the Ukrainian side, because it helps us monitor the airspace. Of course, the biggest danger comes from the Black Sea, because every time the fleet of the aggressor state, the Russian Federation, is out at sea, we are waiting, so to speak, for surprises. Usually when they bomb Vinnytsia, Lviv, Odessa, the danger also increases for us," he said.
Grosu mentioned that Moldova is interested in ensuring its energy security, given that since last autumn the country has been subjected to an "unprecedented wave of cyber-attacks." He added that the local authorities are also interested in investment in defensive capabilities.
According to the official, the main danger to Moldova are the bombings that take place every five to seven days. He pointed out that the Russian bombing targets the energy infrastructure in Ukraine, which could affect the supply of electricity to Moldova, but added that the authorities are better prepared than last winter and thanked Romania for its support, which includes 130,000 cubic metres of wood.
"My colleagues are in constant contact with colleagues from Romania. The incident a month ago, when the system failed, fortunately showed us that in record time, thanks to our collaboration, the entire country could be reconnected in a matter of few hours. (...) We have diversified the sources of gas supply. We have our operator, the state-run company Energocom, making purchases. On the right bank at the moment we are not using a single cubic metre of gas from Gazprom. We were able to find solutions in record time. We learned to buy gas and this was also due to the fact that we have a good collaboration with Western and Romanian partners. In terms of electricity, things are going well at the moment. The Cuciurgan power plant has become operational," said Grosu.
He said he is confident in the possibility that the Moldovan authorities will be able to procure medicines from Romania after Moldova runs out of internal reserves.
"I know that there are discussions at the level of ministers of health. The minister came with a request: when the reserves or what is needed for Romania is met, the first country that could benefit from a surplus should be the Republic of Moldova. I think they will find a solution. (...) There are medicines [in Moldova]. Our stockpiles allow us to overcome challenges and we will certainly call on the World Health Organization, we will also call on other platforms, other partners to respond to this challenge," he said.
Grosu remarked that the National Culture Day show at the Bucharest National Opera House is an important one because "culture is the main link that unites the two Romanian states."
"We think alike, we understand each other - same language, same history, same culture. That's why we're here," he said.
