Oazu Nantoi: Russia becomes involved in election campaign in Gagauzia

Political analyst Oazu Nantoi, program director at the Institute of Public Policy, accuses the Russian authorities of active involvement in the election campaign preceding the Governor elections in Gagauzia. He made such statements in the program “Pahomi” on Realitatea TV channel, IPN reports.



According to the analyst, this involvement by Moscow in favor of the candidate supported by the Party of Socialists, Irina Vlah, put the other candidates for the post of Governor in unequal conditions. “The other contenders have practically no chance. All these activities of the Kremlin represent only pressure exerted on the Gagauz people in order to make them vote for the candidate that is more pro-Russian. They say nothing in this campaign about the creation of jobs, welfare or the economic development of the region,” said Nantoi.



He also said that the population of Gagauzia can be easily influenced. “They live in another world and perceive the world through the Russian TV channels. Twenty-eight of the 30 TV channels broadcast in Comrat are Russian. So, the Gagauz people represent a community of people whose mentality was mutilated by the Russian propaganda,” he stated.



Nantoi considers the Russian authorities are trying to blackmail the Government of Moldova through the agency of Gagauzia so as to maintain its influence in the region. “At first sight, it seems that nothing serious happens when three MPs come from a country with which we signed a friendship agreement. But their visit had a profound connotation as they came to support a particular candidate. We should not forget that Russia is an aggressor state in relation not only to Ukraine, but also to Moldova. Russia defied the European agreements and is the first and only country in Europe that annexed a foreign territory after World War II, defying all the interstate accords and the international law norms,” stated the analyst.