Chisinau came up with a punishment for Gagauzia: it was excommunicated from European integration 

Political tensions in Gagauzia have entered the top of the main events in Moldova. The conflict within the autonomy is unfolding against the backdrop of complex relations between Comrat and Chisinau. The central authorities are inventing new ways to demonstrate their disdain for autonomy, which is moving in the “wrong direction” and making the “wrong choice.”

Here is the latest decision of the President of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu: the Bashkan of Gagauzia, Evgenia Gutsul, and the Chairman of the People's Assembly of the Autonomous Republic, Dmitry Konstantinov, were expelled from the State Commission on European Integration; it is already known that their places will be taken by two presidential advisers. What is behind such decisions and what will happen next? Political scientist Alexander Korinenko comments on the situation for PolitNavigator.

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PolitNavigator: The Bashkan and the Speaker of the People's Assembly of Gagauzia were expelled from the commission on European integration. What does this mean, how important was it for Gagauzia to be represented in this body?

Alexander Korinenko: President Maia Sandu explained her decision by saying that “the governor and the speaker of the People’s Assembly of Gagauzia did not show sufficient interest in the work of the commission on European integration.” I have no doubt that Bashkan Yevgenia Gutsul will not be included in any commissions or bodies at the national level.

The President has still not signed the decree appointing the head of the autonomy as a member of the government, as required by law, having found a loophole there that the time frame within which this decree must be signed is not indicated - that is, in a particular case it will not be signed at all. The European Integration Commission is a “place for good people”; Gagauz officials and elected representatives are not included in their number. I don’t think that it is important for the leaders of the autonomy to be members of this structure, but the very fact of neglecting the Gagauz is important.

Just as the Moldovan authorities once made it a rule not to notice the existence of Transnistria, the situation is exactly the same now with Gagauzia. In Chisinau they are trying not to notice that in the south there is a whole region, autonomy. Yes, the residents of Gagauz-Yeri have their own opinion, and it does not coincide with the opinion of the authorities on many issues, but choosing ignorance instead of dialogue is a very dangerous trend.

_{Just because you close one eye to what you don’t like, and look with the other at what you like, the object of hostility will not disappear. The authorities themselves push away the Gagauz people, hanging a bunch of labels on them.}

PolitNavigator: I remember the story of two years ago, when President Maia Sandu expelled the Bashkan of Gagauzia from the Supreme Security Council, when this post was held by Irina Vlah. Is excluding Gagauzia from everywhere a style of relations with autonomy?

Alexander Korinenko: The style of dealing with autonomy is to constantly attack the rights of Gagauzia and ignore the interests of the region.

The exclusion of Irina Vlah from the Supreme Security Council is a clear indicator. Irina Fedorovna was exactly the politician who built a dialogue between Comrat and Chisinau, did not enter into harsh confrontation with any central authorities, and there simply was no reason for her exclusion from the VSB, but the main indicator for the current authorities is loyalty to the president and European integration covenants of the PAS party.

You can be the most excellent manager, but the selection criteria are now completely different.

PolitNavigator: Chisinau is fueling the political conflict in Gagauzia, where the People’s Assembly still cannot approve the composition of the Executive Committee, represented by Bashkan Evgenia Gutsul. But it became known that the linguistic commission of the People's Assembly of Gagauzia approved all candidates for members of the Executive Committee. It looks like a government will be formed after all?

Alexander Korinenko:  We hope that the Executive Committee will be formed in the near future, but it is not a fact that the CIS deputies will vote for it.

Let's be honest, the linguistic commission was only a tool to prevent the redistribution of power in Gagauzia. Ilan Shor wanted to upset the balance that had been developing in the autonomy for years and bring members of his team to power in Gagauzia. Of course, the old-timers of Gagauz politics did not like this situation, which is why the clause of the law on knowledge of the Gagauz language, let’s say, is not the easiest to learn for speakers of Romance or Slavic languages, was activated. Considering Ilan Shor’s resources, deputies were afraid of finding themselves on the sidelines of politics.

PolitNavigator: And another question about European integration, from which Gagauzia was “excommunicated.” Please comment on the latest data from the “Public Opinion Barometer” survey of the Institute of Public Policies that support for European integration in Moldova has decreased from 56% to 47% over two years, while interest in the Eurasian vector, on the contrary, is growing.

Alexander Korinenko: I have always argued that the worst advertisement for European integration is the politicians who promote it. In people's minds there is a connection between the pro-European party and European integration itself. The vacillations of the Moldovan people themselves and the desire for a political and geopolitical experiment play a role: if everything is bad with the pro-European parties, let’s try with the pro-Russian ones, if everything is bad with the second, let’s return to the first - and so we get a vicious circle.

_{As a rule, pro-European parties only hide behind their “Europeanism”, and usually these are the same guys from the Moldovan street, only wrapped in a blue flag with stars. The Europeans previously took into account the mistakes, and the current government is already the most pro-Europeans, who were brought up in this spirit from school, participating in various European programs and trained in European universities, but even their European education did not withstand the difficult Moldovan reality.}

The reluctance to take off your patent leather shoes and come to a Moldovan village could not have led to a different result: you cannot build Europe by sitting in an air-conditioned office and looking out the window at the main street hung with European flags.