MOSCOW, April 8. /TASS/. The head of Moldova’s autonomous Gagauzia region, Yevgenia Gutsul, described the idea of Moldova potentially becoming part of Romania as the death of the former Soviet republic.

"It would be the death of Moldova. The death of the Moldovan language, the Moldovan culture. The death of the Moldovan ethnicity," she told Channel One television.

Over the past three decades, pro-Romanian political parties in Moldova have been pushing to get rid of the Moldovan state. "They have denied the Moldovans the right to be called Moldovan, the right to have their own culture, customs, traditions as well as the right to speak their own language," she lamented.

Following the demise of the Soviet Union, Moldova proclaimed independence, but politicians in neighboring Romania consider it part of their country as they push for reunification. Bucharest supports political parties in Chisinau who conspire with the Moldovan government on this unification agenda. At the same time, opposition parliamentarians in Moldova call for outlawing all organizations seeking to overthrow the current government.

Recent opinion polls have shown that support for unification is lacking.