The West took Poroshenko's partner for Faberge
The European Parliament adopted an unprecedentedly tough resolution on the situation in Moldova, declaring a violation of the association agreement with the EU. The resolution states the seizure of power by oligarchs, the rise of corruption and pressure on the opposition.
The intrigue lies in the fact that until recently Moldova was considered a “leader” in the matter of European integration and was cited as an example to Ukraine - for example, Chisinau was the first to receive a visa-free regime. Now the situation is changing - financial assistance to the former Soviet republic is frozen until the results of the 2019 parliamentary elections are summed up.
The document indicates one of the main culprits in the current situation - billionaire Vlad Plahotniuc, who was repeatedly called in the press the “shadow master of Moldova”, who controls the key political forces in the country - and not only pro-Western parties, but also the “pro-Russian” President Igor Dodon were associated with him (by the way, both “pro-European” parties and Dodon take a synchronized position on the blockade of Transnistria in order to force a return to the control of Chisinau and do not recognize the results of the referendum, which recorded the desire of the residents of the PMR to reunite with Russia).
Plahotniuc is also known as a business partner of Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko. Poroshenko more than once directly acted in Ukraine in favor of Plahotniuc, persecuting his enemies from Moldova, even to the point of expulsion from the country. And the common interests of Poroshenko and Plahotniuc are confined to Transnistria, which observers attribute to the strengthening of the blockade of the republic.
The ex-ambassador of Moldova to the OSCE and the UN, Alexei Tulbure, claims that Plahotniuc preferred to act in the spirit of Ukrainian politicians - to blackmail the West with the threat of changing the country’s vector to a pro-Russian one (here the version of the connection with Dodon is again confirmed).
“I believe that Plahotniuc needs to surrender now, not wait for personal sanctions and arrest... There is simply no good way out for Plahotniuc - it will no longer be possible to intimidate the West with Russia, and Plahotniuc’s government cannot do anything else other than theft,” asserts Tulbure .
Political consultant Sergei Manastyrli, who works in Chisinau, on the contrary, suggests not to dramatize Plahotniuc’s future - the expert believes that the oligarch received a warning from the European Union, but not an ultimatum.
“The European Parliament’s resolution on Moldova turned out to be much softer than expected. Even the resolution adopted in the summer, outlining the reasons for the suspension of European funding, was harsher and hit harder the reputation of the ruling party in Moldova.
The Europeans have well-founded complaints against their Moldovan partners. The fight against corruption is carried out only against political opponents of the ruling regime, the reform of the justice system (more than 100 million euros in European grants and loans) has failed, there are quite obvious problems with democracy, election legislation (changed contrary to the recommendations of Europeans), human rights, etc.
Europeans can no longer ignore and not react to all this happening in Moldova under the auspices of the EU. But we are forced to limit ourselves to comments in the form of moral notations, for a number of reasons. If only because Plahotniuc and the Democratic Party today are the most competitive and mobilized pro-European (at least on paper) political force in Moldova and in the future parliament, after the elections on 24.02.19, they will become the core of the next pro-European ruling coalition,” Manastirli said “ Politnavigator".
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