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6 Jun 2019, 12:23

West seeking to use Moldova against Russia, says Moldovan president

He noted that in the past ten years his country had been ruled by the pro-European and "very often anti-Russian" authorities

ST. PETERSBURG, June 6. /TASS/. The West is seeking to use Moldova against Russia, Moldovan President Igor Dodon said at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum on Thursday.

He noted that in the past ten years his country had been ruled by the pro-European and "very often anti-Russian" authorities. "I have been often called a pro-Russian politician. It is not so. I am a pro-Moldovan politician," Dodon stressed. "I don’t want the West to use us against Russia and stand for strategic partnership with both Russia and the European Union, and with the United States."

In his words, his country may become an example of balance in the near future. "We enjoy visa-free travel with the European Union and concurrently we have a free trade agreement with the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)," he explained. "Not a single country in the world can boast to have such a balanced economic foreign policy."

At the same time, he admitted that such state of affairs tells on the political situation in the country. "The country is practically split: fifty percent want closer relations with Russia and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), and the rest want contacts with the European Union," Dodon noted. "There are regions where 90% of the population stand for one of the options."

According to the Moldovan leader, bigger nations used to make Moldova choose: either with or against them. "No matter where such calls originated from. What matters is that in my latest contacts with leaders of Germany, France and other nations I have noticed that their position has changed," he said.

"I am sure the principle of well-balanced policy is the only right option," he stressed. "Because if it is faces with a choice it will burst like it was in Ukraine."

The 2019 St. Petersburg International Economic Forum is being held on June 6-8. The forum’s motto this year is "Creating a Sustainable Development Agenda". The organizer for SPIEF-2019 is the Roscongress Foundation. TASS is a media partner, the official photo hosting agency and the operator of SPIEF’s presentation zones with support from multinational firm EY, and the Foreign Investment Advisory Council in Russia.