Transdniestria settlement to start after Moldovan parliamentary elections - Dodon
MINSK. April 18 (Interfax) - Moldovan President Igor Dodon expects that a political settlement of the problem of Transdniestria will begin in 2019.
"A political settlement - unifying the country - is possible only following the parliamentary elections, because there should be a common pro-state and pro-Moldovan position in Chisinau, and only then will dialogue be possible. I hope this will happen following the elections at the end of this year and we will begin next year with a different agenda," Dodon said in an interview with the Belarusian state news agency BelTA.
Dodon also commented on the idea of unifying Moldova and Romania. "There are political forces financing these movements in Moldova. When there are organizations financed from abroad and undermining statehood, this becomes a national security matter," he said.
An overwhelming majority of Moldovan citizens are categorically against the idea of the country's losing its statehood, Dodon said.
"Even if some of the political elites try to do some politicking on this, I am sure that won't happen. No matter what, we will be defending our statehood in all possible ways," he said.
"If someone tries to deprive us of it [statehood] at some stage, this would not only lead to civil war in Moldova, but would destabilize the entire region and all of Europe," he said.