MOSCOW, April 22. /TASS/. Moldova's autonomous Gagauzia region may exercise the right to self-determination if Moldova unites with Romania or joins the EU, head of Gagauzia Yevgenia Gutsul said.

"We don’t plan to secede from Moldova because it’s our home country. The constitution says that Moldova is a sovereign and neutral state. However, if Moldova decides to unite with Romania or joins the European Union, the Gagauz Autonomous Region reserves the right to external self-determination. This is provided for by the law on our special legal status," she noted.

Gutsul also said that Gagauzia did not want an escalation with the Chisinau authorities.

"We would like to avoid such a scenario because we want peace. We want to be friends with the Russian Federation the way we have been for centuries and we also want to be friends with other countries. However, today, the Party of Action and Solidarity (Moldova’s ruling party - TASS) is trying to set the Moldovans and the Gagauz people against each other, while we are one nation. Everything is being done to incite ethnic discord," Gutsul stressed.