Moldovan president fears potential armed conflict in country
CHISINAU. March 17 (Interfax) - Moldovan President Nicolae Timofti has warned of the threat of a potential armed conflict in the country and reiterated the need for closer ties between Moldova and NATO.
"There is the danger of an armed conflict breaking out on the territory of Moldova. Our [best] chance [to avoid it] is cooperation and a closer relationship with NATO. It is a pity that we did not establish closer ties with NATO when the time was right for that," Timofti told the Moldova-1 television station.
"The Moldovan army should be reformed," he added.
When commenting on the situation in the region, Moldova's leader said that the policy being pursued by Russia in the south-east of Ukraine is posing a threat to the security of Moldova.
The Russian authorities are also interfering in the campaign ahead of the elections of the head of the autonomous Gagauzia region, Timofti said.
"I believe that we need to take tougher measures. Bearing all this in mind, I have asked Deputy Prime Minister Natalia Gherman to adopt measures to ban Russian parliamentarians from coming to Moldova outside of official visits," he said.
