Former Moldovan President Lucinschi believes there are no threats to Moldova, conflict in Ukraine to end in coming days

CHISINAU. March 16 (Interfax) - There is no threat to Moldova's security, and the hostilities in Ukraine will end in a few days, former Moldovan President Petru Lucinschi said in an exclusive interview with Interfax on Tuesday.

Lucinschi regretted that Moldova had become a frontline state and there had been rumors that the front might spread into Moldova. "People are scared because they are reading a lot of contradictory information, but most rumors are exaggerated," he said.

"Just to be clear, we should compare the situation in Ukraine and here. Disputes between Russia and Ukraine have been dragging on for years. As we know, Russia had two main claims. Firstly, the repeatedly expressed desire of Ukraine to join NATO, which is formalized by law and confirmed by members of the North Atlantic Alliance. Russia viewed this as a threat to national security. The second claim of Russia is that Kyiv has never sat down for talks with Donbas since the signing of the Minsk Agreements. We have neither of those problems with Russia," Lucinschi said.

In his opinion, the incumbent administration of Moldova "has taken a completely correct and balanced position." "Both the president, the prime minister and the foreign minister have repeatedly underlined that we are a neutral state and have no intention to join NATO. Now, this stance is helping Moldova avoid involvement in the armed conflict. We are in constant dialogue with Transdniestria, and officials from Chisinau and Tiraspol hold meetings and discuss current affairs. So, there is no reason for the deployment of Russian forces to our territory from this angle either," he said.

Lucinschi said he could not say how the events in Ukraine might develop. "We are doing our job, i.e. taking in refugees. Moldovans can be proud of themselves," he said, adding that he was personally assisting refugees and had helped six Ukrainian families settle down in Chisinau.

Lucinschi said he was not planning to leave Moldova or panic. "Constructive, sincere assistance to those in need is the best we could do now. We need unity and ability to think and act clearly and calmly more than ever," he said.

As Interfax reported earlier, head of the Moldovan Interior Ministry's General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations Alexandru Oprea said on Tuesday that the number of refugees from Ukraine had been gradually decreasing in Moldova since March 8. Moldova took in 128,759 refugees on March 8, compared to 102,836, including 48,405 children, on March 14. Moldova has opened 96 authorized accommodation centers and two special centers operated by the Interior Ministry. In all, over 305,000 refugees arrived in Moldova between February 24 and March 15, and more than 200,000 of them left for EU member states.