{"id":1460,"date":"2019-09-09T02:46:27","date_gmt":"2019-09-09T00:46:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/zdg.md\/eng\/?p=1460"},"modified":"2019-09-09T02:46:28","modified_gmt":"2019-09-09T00:46:28","slug":"putins-visit-to-moldova-postponed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zdg.md\/en\/putins-visit-to-moldova-postponed\/","title":{"rendered":"Putin’s Visit to Moldova Postponed"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

At the end of this week, President Dodon leaves for Moscow on a new working visit, saying that he will meet Vladimir Putin. Dodon has not revealed the full agenda of the visit. On his Facebook page<\/a>, he wrote that he will discuss issues related to the conditions of Russian gas delivery to Moldova. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why should he meet Putin for this and not Russia\u2019s Prime Minister, Dmitry Medvedev, as other countries around the world do? And why President Dodon and not Prime Minister Maia Sandu? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Simply because the Russian gas, like any other imported or exported goods from Russia, has a political price in addition to its commercial one. And Putin is the one who dictates political prices in Russia. Nobody else. And for Putin, Dodon is the best candidate to negotiate prices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We are on the eve of the local elections in the Republic of Moldova. As usual, Moscow will seek to build a positive image of Dodon and his socialists for the upcoming elections. And the Russian gas price (a sensitive social issue to speculate on) could be at stake. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What could Dodon ask for (if he would even ask)? A lower price for Russian gas or maintaining current costs. What will Putin ask for? As always: everything. A Moldova subdued by Russia and transformed into a federation or confederation according to the old Kozak plan. In other words, a new Soviet Socialist Republic of Moldova (SSRM), as it used to be until 1991.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After the loss of Ukraine in 2014, Russia, dominated by its former imperial vanity, has sought and continues to seek revenge and rehabilitation as a powerful actor in the region. We see what is happening in Donbas, around Crimea, on the Black Sea. And Moldova could be a good playing card in the hands of Russia in its power adjustments with N.A.T.O. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The fact that Dodon (who we know is Putin’s bailiff) was allowed to take control of all the power structures in Moldova creates additional risks and not just for the security and independence of Moldova. And I do not know if this is a compromise or a miscalculation made by those from ACUM Bloc or by those who advised them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On August 24, the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, Sergey Shoygu visited Moldova for the first time since the country became independent. During his visit, he attended an event that glorifies the Soviet occupation of Basarabia. This could mean that Putin, in collusion with Dodon, is planning a reversal of the situation in Moldova, which could endanger the region\u2019s peace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Otherwise, how could we explain the fact that immediately after Shoygu’s departure, U.S. Presidential adviser for national security, John Bolton, visited Chi\u0219in\u0103u and \u2013 after meeting with President Dodon and Prime Minister Sandu, declared “We have no military objectives, we want Moldova to be independent.\u201d <\/em>Therefore, risks to Moldova\u2019s independence exists, and if they are not from the West, then they are coming from the East.<\/p>\n\n\n\n