CHISINAU, July 20. /TASS/. Evghenia Gutul, the newly elected head of Moldova’s Gagauz autonomy, has promised to maintain and develop good relations with Russia and Turkey.

"I will be the head for Gagauzia, not for individual parties. We will always be open for all our partners. I vow that good relations will be maintained with Turkey, Europe, Russia, our neighbors - Ukraine and Romania, and so forth," she said at the inaugural ceremony on Wednesday, with was televised by the GRT television channel.

She promised that her team "will pay serious attention to the development of the economy, will continue the existing social project and launch new ones."

Speaker of the Gagauz parliament Dmitriy Konstantinov called on Gutul to "defend the autonomy’s laws, which are being curtailed by Moldova every year." He also said that the new Gagauz head must restore "good ties with Moldova" and expressed regret that Moldovan leaders "are ignoring Gagauzia, its people and their choice."

The Gagauz parliament invited Moldovan President Maia Sandu, parliament speaker Igor Grosu, and Prime Minister Dorin Recean to attend Gutul’s inauguration, but neither of them have finally come. Gutul slammed this as "disrespect of the choice of the autonomy’s people and an explicit affront to all people in the region."

Gagauzia’s conflict with Chisinau escalated after Gutul, a nominee of the opposition party Sor, won Gagauzia’s election. Following Sandu’s remarks about violations during the voting, searches were conducted at the autonomy’s Central Election Commission and criminal cases were opened on charges of illegal campaign financing and vote buying. The central authorities’ actions triggered a public outcry in the autonomy. A rally was held in the Gagauz capital city of Comrat and the autonomy’s parliament unanimously supported the Central Election Commission’s decision on Gutul’s election. Later on, Comrat’s Court of Appeals certified Gutul’s victory.