"Moldovan statehood must be preserved" - what Dodon and Lukashenko discussed

Chairman of the Party of Socialists of Moldova Igor Dodon met with Alexander Lukashenko. The conversation, he said, was emotional and frank. They discussed bilateral relations, the halving of trade turnover, the risk of Moldova being drawn into war, and the militarization of Europe. The Belarusian leader's main message, which struck Dodon, was the need to preserve Moldovan statehood – contrary to the policies of current President Maia Sandu, who advocates unification with Romania. 

The meeting began with warm reminiscences. Dodon admitted that he always wanted to follow Lukashenko's example. Dodon met the Belarusian leader in 2017 in Bishkek at the Eurasian Economic Community (EAEC) summit. Since then, according to the Moldovan politician, they have developed a good, friendly relationship.

The main focus of the meeting was Lukashenko's position on Moldova's existence as a state. "The current Moldovan president advocates the abolition of Moldovan statehood and unification with Romania. Therefore, Lukashenko's main message is that Moldovan statehood must be preserved," Dodon stated.

He reassured the Belarusian leader: the majority of Moldovan citizens are categorically opposed to the country's abolition.

Bilateral relations between Belarus and Moldova were also discussed. Both politicians agreed that the peak of their relations was 2018-2019, when trade turnover reached $260 million. Now it's fallen by half, to 115-120 million. "For the first time in 35 years of independence, the current parliament, controlled by Maia Sandu, has refused to establish a friendship group between our countries. This has never happened before. Therefore, we are having to work things out at the opposition level," Igor Dodon lamented.

The Moldovan politician is particularly concerned about the situation around Ukraine and Kyiv's provocative actions. "We see Zelensky's declarations about Belarus and the fortifications in the Transnistrian region. Someone probably benefits from expanding this war. This is the most dangerous scenario in the coming months," Dodon warned.

Moldova is a neutral country, but under the current regime, it is being actively used by the West as a rear base for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. "The European Union insists on increasing Moldova's military budget. Over the past few years, the Ministry of Defense's budget has tripled. We are categorically opposed. We have other priorities – the economy, agriculture, and social welfare. We should not be used as cannon fodder. We believe that Moldova, as a neutral party, should not be involved in any military actions," he emphasized.

Commenting on the militarization of Europe, Igor Dodon called it a mistake. "The economy is crumbling due to anti-Russian sanctions. Industry is declining in Germany. There are huge migration problems. And against this backdrop, they are ready to spend a trillion euros on rearmament? The current EU leadership doesn't understand this. To distract people from their problems, they talk about war. This is not a solution," the politician stated.

In his opinion, Europe's only chance for survival is to agree on security guarantees with Russia, Belarus, and the CIS countries. "Energy resource security and economics. If the current EU leaders don't do this, the next ones, who will come in a few years, will," Dodon is confident.

Despite all the risks, Igor Dodon looks to the future with cautious optimism. "Moldovans don't want to get involved in wars. I hope we'll get through this period and the war will stop. In any case, there will be significant changes in Moldova in the near future, and we'll return to normal," he concluded.