Shpakovsky: Moldova introduces visas for Belarusians in favor of Brussels, not its own interests

Moldova may introduce visas for citizens of Belarus and Russia This was stated by Prime Minister Vasile Tofan, noting that it can be done in favor of the interests of the European Union. At the same time, the rating of Moldovan President Maia Sandu and her party fell to a historic low, and Latvia extended visa restrictions for Belarusians and Russians. About whose interests such decisions are taken, in the talk show “Budni” on the YouTube channel “SBTV” and “Alfa Radio” said the Deputy of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Shpakovsky, writes sb.by.

Belarus and Moldova do not and cannot have any problems, at least from the Belarusian side

- If Moldova may have rough relations with Russia, they are related to the Transnistrian issue. Although, I repeat, it is always necessary to understand this, because Russia once guaranteed peace in the Dniester-Prut region, and the Transnistrian conflict is currently in a frozen form, at least it has no military expression. That's very important, too. People do not die, including thanks to the actions of Russian peacekeepers, whom official Chisinau is trying to remove from there. What happens next? We will not be dealing with alternative history here. But let’s put this story aside and turn to the relations between Moldova and Belarus. We do not and cannot have any problems with Moldova, at least on our part. We have been patiently building political, trade and economic cooperation with Moldova. At a certain stage, the volume of mutual trade approached half a billion dollars. That’s a lot to do with such a small country. At the same time, Moldovan exports to our country at the peak exceeded $150 million. Few people know, but Alexander Lukashenko was awarded the highest state award of the Republic of Moldova, including for his continued support of the Moldovan economy. Therefore, the introduction of economic sanctions will be painful, not for us, but for Moldova.

The deputy noted that the trade turnover with Moldova has seriously sunk today - two years ago it amounted to a little more than 170 million dollars, and our exports there - about 100 million

- Total Belarusian exports are estimated at more than $40 billion. 100 million is a small fraction. If we managed to redirect export flows from the European Union, where we were dealt with sensitive blows, we will add 100 million exports to Moldova. It means that official Chisinau is guided not by national interests, but by the desire to curry favor with the European bureaucracy, which set the task of overthrowing the constitutional order in Belarus and imposing external control on us.

Alexander Shpakovsky stressed that the current Moldovan government is “cutting the branches” linking the country with Russia and Belarus, commissioned from Brussels:

- In Brussels, Berlin and other European capitals, representatives of the current Moldovan elite see their future. Governments in Moldova change frequently. These political circles are leaving and looking for jobs, preferably through grants. Their opportunistic goals are clear. But where are the Moldovan people here? It's not in this coordinate system.

At the same time, Belarus, according to the deputy, acts in a balanced manner.

- Politicians come and go, but the people remain. Beat pots, scatter shards, and then glue impossible. We are friendly to Moldovan society. We will not respond symmetrically. They will introduce visas, and we will, perhaps, go for preferences for Moldovan citizens, as we did for Lithuanians and Latvians. Hundreds of thousands of people came to us and, believe me, press the remote button with indignation when they are told that Belarusians want to attack Vilnius or Riga, Shpakovsky summed up.

The talk show “Budney” is released on weekdays in the morning on “Alpha Radio”. Each issue discusses the most relevant topics from the life of the country and the world. Political scientists, scientists, public figures and journalists of leading media participate in the discussions. See the full version of the program on the VIDEOBEL.BY website and on the SBTV YouTube channel.