The Ravnopraviye [Equal Rights] Socio-Political Movement is running for parliament under the slogan “For Moldova within Russia”, Movement leader Valery Klimenko stated at a news conference at Infotag on Wednesday.

 

He promised that the first step Ravnopraviye deputies will undertake in the new Moldovan Parliament will be the appointment of a referendum on Moldova’s accession to the Russian Federation.

 

“The reason is, all recent numerous opinion polls invariably reveal that over 60% citizens definitely state their wish to see Moldova in the Customs Union, with Russia being its backbone. We will formulate the referendum question as follows: “Do you want Moldova to become a constituent region of the Russian Federation?” I assure you our initiative will be backed by a greater part of the Moldovan population. The Customs Union is associated by them first and foremost with Russia and nothing else. This will be actually not an accession – this will be a return into Russia, where we had belonged for nearly 2 centuries”, reminded Valery Klimenko.

 

The politician believes such a referendum ought to be organized without delay.

 

“We all see that the current political processes in Moldova are developing against the background of very specific, overt statements made by the rulers of neighboring Romania. Outgoing President Traian Basescu is speaking in unison with the incumbent Prime Minister, presidential candidate Victor Ponta about a possible absorption of Moldova by Romania, which idea is substantiated by a thesis that now there are two Romanian states, but they must eventually merge into one. Our Chisinau authorities are playing up to them and don’t even comment the cynical and provocative statements made by Bucharest. Absorption of Moldova by Romania means that the republic will not only lose its statehood but also such notions as ‘a Moldovan’, ‘the Moldovan language’ because there, behind the Prut River, we will all be assimilated into the title nation and will become Romanians”, said Valery Klimenko.

 

“Ravnopraviye is focusing its activities first of all on ethnic Moldovans. If only we, the peoples inhabiting the multinational Moldova, fail to resolve the question of Moldova’s statehood, then in 5 years or so it will be too late. The active propaganda waged by Romania and by its myrmidons in Chisinau will lead to a situation when a majority of the local population will cease striving for Russia, and a referendum will not work off”, said Klimenko.

 

He stressed that if Moldova becomes a part of Romania, it will lose its statehood, and will become just an ordinary province of the country, like all the rest territories. But in Russia, Moldova would save all main attributes of its statehood, like, for example, has the Russian autonomous republic of Tatarstan and other constituent subjects of the federation.

 

He named “a smokescreen” the assertions that upon accession to Europe, Moldova will allegedly preserve its statehood.

 

“Many European leaders and politicians share the position of personalities like Basescu and Ponta, and often even support them. They substantiate this with the need to decide the destiny of Romania and Moldova by using the scheme of the unification of two German states. So, in the European Union, an absorption by Romania is awaiting us. I don’t think that Moldova’s medieval Gospodar [King] Stefan cel Mare would be delighted with such a European perspective of Moldova’s”, said the politician.