The Gagauz people in the Republic of Moldova will not be affected by a draft project submitted to the Verkhovna Rada that seeks to recognize certain ethnic groups as indigenous peoples in Ukraine. The press service of the diplomatic authorities in Chisinau provided the clarification at the request of Realitatea Media Group.
Officials referred to Ukrainian legislation and noted that the Constitution of Ukraine regulates the rights of minorities and indigenous peoples through law and that the state promotes the development of ethnic, cultural, linguistic, and religious identity of all indigenous peoples and national minorities.
“The draft law registered in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on May 8, 2026 falls within Ukraine’s internal constitutional and legislative framework regarding the protection of indigenous peoples and national minorities. Its possible provisions apply exclusively on the territory and under the jurisdiction of Ukraine and do not regulate the legal status of the Gagauz in the Republic of Moldova, including in the Autonomous Territorial Unit of Gagauzia,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Moldova stated.
A group of deputies submitted the draft law on May 8, and they proposed recognizing the Gagauz as an indigenous people of Ukraine. According to the document, the Gagauz community formed in the Odesa region. The proposal also states that indigenous peoples in Ukraine would receive revenues from budgets at all levels generated from the use of natural resources in Crimea, Sevastopol, and the Odesa region.
The authors of the initiative stated that around 30,000 Gagauz people live in southern Ukraine, while other members of the community reside in the Republic of Moldova.