In the context of Gagauzia’s autonomy, political commentator Anatol Ţăranu argues that Western funds allocated to the region should be contingent upon the degree of loyalty demonstrated by the Gagauz people towards European values. He suggests that the government in Chisinau should change its approach towards the Gagauzia region, and external assistance should come with conditions. Former deputy Alecu Reniță also highlights that Russia has not lost interest in Moldova and aims to maintain the country within its sphere of influence. Reniță emphasizes that one of the Kremlin’s strategies to hinder Moldova’s European path is the cultivation of Euroscepticism among the population.
Reniță states, “We will not succeed as long as our state institutions are populated by people working for the Russian Federation. Our population will remain indoctrinated and influenced by Russian lies as long as the media, directly or indirectly financed by Russia, continues to fuel nostalgia for the Soviet Union. Moreover, the cultivation of Euroscepticism is even worse. Russia wants to make us anti-Europeans, just as it made us anti-Romanians. Russophobia is a phenomenon that Russia has initiated and maintained. All the misfortunes that befell Bessarabia, historical Moldova, and the Romanian people as a whole are connected to the Tsarist Empire, the Soviet Empire, and presently, the dominance of the Kremlin over the Republic of Moldova,” as expressed by the former deputy during the “Punctul pe Azi” TV show on TVR Moldova.
According to political commentator Anatol Ţăranu, the results of the first round of elections in Gagauzia reaffirmed the Kremlin’s influence over the collective mentality in the administrative-territorial unit. Ţăranu suggests that in order to change the perceptions of the Gagauz people towards the European Union, a well-designed information policy and the conditioning of Western financial assistance are necessary.
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“Gagauzia has received significant aid, not from Russia, as Russia only invests in targeted programs related to the media. The world has changed, but Gagauzia has remained stuck in its history. This makes Gagauzia a major issue for the Republic of Moldova. There is a solution regarding Gagauzia: all aid and assistance must be tightly linked to the loyalty of Gagauz people towards what is known as Moldova’s European course. These citizens need to understand that all assistance coming from the West is based on certain values. If they do not share these values, why should they benefit from this aid? A smart policy that cultivates loyalty to European values could help them understand that prosperity comes from Europe, not from Russia. Romania has renovated all kindergartens in Gagauzia, while Russia has renovated only one, thus nullifying all the support provided by Romania,” explains political commentator Anatol Ţăranu.
Over the past 10 years, more than 40 million euros in European funds have been invested in various development projects in Gagauzia. Despite extensive European support aimed at the region’s citizens, the second round of elections for the position of Gagauzia’s Governor sees pro-Kremlin candidates advocating for closer ties with the Russian Federation.