Ambassador Victor Chirilă: "On September 28, we choose our future. Vote with your heart, but also with your mind"
September 28 will be a pivotal day for the Republic of Moldova, as citizens will head to the polls to shape their future for decades to come. Victor Chirilă, the Ambassador of Moldova to Bucharest, stated in an interview with the Agerpres agency that if, after the elections, the country can form "again a pro-European parliament and a stable pro-European government," then there is a strong possibility of signing the accession agreement to the European Union by the end of 2028.
The Ambassador recalled that the Republic of Moldova has completed the screening of legislation and is ready to start accession negotiations.
"Our great desire is to start accession negotiations together with Ukraine. We believe that this is the right path. (…) Basically, we have presented to the European Commission three roadmaps that stipulate the stages of implementation of community legislation. Now we are waiting for the final decision of the EU Council to start negotiations. And we hope - one of the promises was to start these negotiations by the parliamentary elections on September 28 - well, the period is approaching", Victor Chirilă told Agerpres.
Major infrastructure projects, financed by the EU
The Ambassador emphasized that this step also depends on the outcome of the parliamentary elections on September 28, warning of the consequences of a possible legislature controlled by pro-Russian forces, after the elections on September 28.
"We will have a completely pro-Russian or, let's say, completely anti-European parliament, then things will get seriously complicated. And we are facing extremely difficult times from an economic point of view, from a financial assistance point of view. About 30% of the budget of the Republic of Moldova is maintained thanks to injections, financial support from the Western world and, first of all, from the European Union", he pointed out.
In the same interview, the ambassador recalled that Romania is "the guarantor of energy security and economic prosperity", and the modernization of the transport and energy infrastructure will accelerate the irreversible economic integration of the Republic of Moldova with Romania and the European Union.
“As we build and modernize the current transport and energy infrastructure, this integration will be unstoppable. And, once again, we will recreate a common economic space between E, Moldova and Romania, as it once was. Because this is our natural space for development, which was stopped not by our will, but by the will of some external powers, in the middle of the 20th century”.
The diplomat emphasized that major projects, such as gas pipelines and high-voltage lines, are vital.
"The gas pipelines that brought gas from the Russian Federation are no longer functional, because it has to go through Ukraine, and Ukraine does not allow it. (...) In the fall of this year, we will put into operation a new high-voltage line that will directly connect us with Romania: Isaccea – Vulcănești – Republic of Moldova. Two other high-voltage electric lines will be built in the coming years. Again, it depends on the outcome of the elections on September 28, because these projects, including this project that will be financed this fall, are being implemented with the assistance of the Western world, and in particular, the European Union. And the bridges that we are building with Romania, including the Ungheni bridge, the construction of which has already started - 50% is provided by Romania, another 50% of the financing is provided by the European Union and the other bridges the same. And the road, the Unirii Highway, that we intend to build in the Republic of Moldova, including up to Odessa, will be built with the assistance of the European Union and many, many other ongoing projects that are being built in the Republic of Moldova have an important component of assistance from the European Union", listed Ambassador Chirilă.
Hybrid attacks and electoral corruption
The Ambassador of the Republic of Moldova in Bucharest was keen to recall the scale of Russian interference attempts in the Republic of Moldova's electoral process.
"This attack is directed not only against the citizens of the Republic of Moldova, who live in the Republic of Moldova, but also against those in the diaspora. (...) There are attempts to buy votes, including among the diaspora, and we already have concrete signals – including from Romania, France, and Germany – that these votes are being bought. I have posted the contact numbers provided by the CNA, the institution that combats economic crimes, on the embassy's and my personal Facebook page. These contact numbers allow our citizens to call and inform the authorities about acts of corruption. And we ask citizens not to hesitate, to inform, because in this way, together, we can contribute to ensuring the integrity of our vote. On September 28, we need elections that are not only open and fair, but also honest. The results must express the true opinion of citizens and we must stop any kind of interference", declared Victor Chirilă.
In the context, the diplomat said that, in the previous election, record sanctions were applied: "Over 25,000 fines, for 15 million lei – almost one million dollars. The fines for electoral corruption range from 2,000 euros to 3,000 euros. They can also be arrested, they can be imprisoned for two to six years".
In the parliamentary elections on September 28, Moldovans in Romania will be able to vote at 23 electoral stations, located in 14 cities, the largest number to date.
"In Bucharest we will have five polling stations, in Iași we will have three, and in Cluj, Brașov and Timișoara we will have two stations each. In the remaining cities – Oradea, Baia Mare, Sibiu, Craiova, Târgu Mureș, Suceava, Galați, Constanța, Bacău – we will organize one polling station each", said the head of the diplomatic mission in Bucharest.
Finally, Victor Chirilă urged the citizens of the Republic of Moldova to vote, on September 28, "with their hearts for their loved ones, but also with their minds, and with realism, and with pragmatism".
"The road to the European Union will be difficult to stop, society wants this. We are more connected than ever to the European Union from an economic, energetic and political point of view. It would be better to avoid a deadlock and make the right decision on September 28", concluded the Ambassador of the Republic of Moldova to Romania, Victor Chirilă.
