VICE-SPEAKER OF PEOPLE'S ASSEMBLY OF GAGAUZIA BELIEVES THAT ILAN SHOR IS USING AUTONOMY TO DESTABILIZE SITUATION IN MOLDOVA

Vice chairman of the People's Assembly of Gagauzia (PAG), Alexandr Tarnavschi, believes that the fugitive oligarch Ilan Shor, who is hiding in Moscow from Moldovan justice, is using the autonomy's leadership to overthrow the authorities in Chisinau.

He recalled on Friday on TV8 channel that during the May 2023 bashkan elections, Ilan Shor managed to get his protege Evghenia Gutul elected as head of the autonomy.

"I don't want to comment on how these elections were held. It is very unfortunate that they were organized in such a way, and the law enforcement agencies were unable to stop the bribery of voters. The central government let everything go, and the results turned out the way they did," Tarnavschi emphasized.

According to him, Shor initially opposed any cooperation between the autonomy and the central authorities.

"He is seeking a split. He opposes any sprouts of dialog and the arrival of representatives of the Moldovan leadership in Gagauzia. This has been the case before, and it has been especially manifested recently. With the election of Evghenia Gutul as Bashkan of Gagauzia, who was elected with the political support of Ilan Shor, the latter acquired a certain political asset in the form of autonomy. Now he is using this asset to worsen the situation so that there is no constructive dialog between Comrat and Chisinau," Tarnavschi said.

He also recalled that together with several other PAG deputies, he came up with an initiative to resume the work of the joint group of deputies of the Moldovan Parliament and the People's Assembly of Gagauzia.

"This work should be restored, as it is the only effective mechanism of dialog. But Bashkan Evghenia Gutul was categorically against it, issuing ultimatums to Chisinau. We see that everything is being done to prevent dialogue and normalization of the situation. At the same time, Shor uses the most "sensitive points" of the voters: low incomes, prices, energy resources. He makes populist promises to attract supporters. The task of Shor and his team is to destabilize the situation in the region and to dismantle the official authorities in Chisinau," the Gagauz politician said.