CHISINAU, December 23. /TASS/. The Gagauz autonomy is facing unprecedented pressure from the Moldovan authorities, the country’s Party of Socialists said in a statement on the occasion of the adoption of a law on the region’s special legal status.
The party believes that Chisinau’s desire to influence the autonomy’s ties with Turkey and Russia is behind this move. "That is why today, Gagauzia is facing unprecedented pressure from the comprador ruling regime. The Executive Committee and the People’s Assembly of Gagauzia are facing systematic and baseless pressure. Thousands of activists and ordinary citizens are receiving unlawful fines. This is yet another attempt to break the autonomy’s will and punish it for its loyalty to commitments and principles," Moldova’s largest opposition party said.
The Socialists vowed to stand up for and protect Gagauzia’s rights in the Moldovan parliament. "The law on Gagauzia’s special status must be fully respected. Any attempts to encroach on the autonomy’s powers, as enshrined in the Constitution and laws, are unacceptable and will be met with a harsh political and legal response," the statement said.
About 150,000 Gagauz people live in southern Moldova. They are a Turkic-speaking ethnic group of the Orthodox faith. In 1990, they proclaimed their own republic, but Chisinau did not recognize it and sent volunteer troops to pacify the Gagauz. The conflict was resolved in December 1994 through the creation of autonomy. At that time, the Moldovan parliament passed a law on the special legal status of Gagauzia, which formalized an agreement in which the Gagauz people renounced the creation of an independent state. However, the current government, formed by the pro-Western Party of Action and Solidarity, acknowledges that it does not comply with these agreements.