Premier Leanca’s visit to Romania begins against the background of sharpening relations between Chisinau and Bucharest

On Monday morning, Moldovan Prime Minister Iurie Leanca flew for a visit to Bucharest, where he is going to meet his Romanian colleague Victor Ponta. The visit is taking place against the background of sharpening relations between Chisinau and Bucharest following an exchange of tough statements.

Last week, Premier Leanca appeared on the local television and inter alia characterized as “undesirable” the recent sayings by Romanian President Traian Basescu, who stated before the Eastern Partnership Summit in Vilnius that Romania’s 3rd serious, national-importance project (after completion of the previous two – accession to the European Union and to NATO) will be unification with Moldova.

In that TV program, Premier Leanca also voiced surprise about Basescu’s sudden visit to Chisinau, where the Romanian leader rushed to straight after the Vilnius Summit closure and arrived in the Moldovan capital earlier than the official Moldovan delegation did, which was perceived by many as the official Bucharest’s striving for unification of the two countries.

“Basescu’s unification statements don’t help us but only create extra considerable problems to Moldova. Meanwhile, what we really need from Romania is its influence in the European Union and its help for us on our path to Europe. European integration does not mean a loss of the Republic of Moldova’s sovereignty in whatever form. We must remain a functional state and must join the area of prosperity, stability, with a functional state system, without borders. This is the most important goal of the Moldovan Government’s”, stated Iurie Leanca.

He supported also the statements made recently by Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta – that “Basescu’s statements pour water on the Moldovan Communists’ mill”.

On the eve of Leanca’s visit to Bucharest, Romanian presidential adviser Iulian Chifu, who was born and raised in Moldova, subjected the Moldovan premier to criticism, saying that Leanca had missed a chance to remain silent.

“Before his visit to Bucharest, Moldovan Prime Minister Iurie Leanca is interfering into Romania’s politics. It’s a pity. He was a diplomat, and seemed to have a future. Until now, he has not yet stood out, saying who is good and who is bad in Bucharest. The Moldovan premier, whom all Romanian state institutions help, missed a chance to remain silent, if he doesn’t understand what is actually happening in Bucharest and the region. To abstain from comments would be more appropriate, particularly one month after the event. Leanca’s gesture, even if it may help him in the forthcoming election campaign, may be interpreted as the absence of character”, said Chifu.

Last Friday, December 20, the Romanian president, on a visit to Brussels, supported a proposal to speed up the signing of the Association Agreement between the European Union and the Republic of Moldova. Basescu particularly drew the attention of the EU and European Commission that during the translation and editing of the Association Agreement text, it is necessary to bear in mind the decision of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Moldova [passed last December 5, i.e. a week after the Agreement initialing in Vilnius] – that “the official language in the Republic of Moldova is the Romanian language”, stressed Basescu.

Recently, Matthias Meyer, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Federal Republic of Germany to the Republic of Moldova, named “a tempest in a teapot” the speculations on a possible unification of Moldova with Romania, and spoke out for preserving the two states.

For that, the diplomat was criticized by the Civil Platform “Actiunea 2012”, a pro-Romania organization. Its leaders also demanded revocation of the Romanian Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Moldova, Marius Lazurca, “for his insufficiently active participation in the process of unification of the two Romanian states and for his non-supporting the actions by unification adherents”.