Expert Igor Boțan said that political factors underlay the trade embargoes imposed by Russia on the Republic of Moldova. In a public debate hosted by IPN News Agency, he noted that Moscow's decision to ban Moldovan wines in 2006 was a reaction to Chisinau's rejection of the country's federalization plan proposed in 2003, known as the Kozak Memorandum.
"The political factor was essential in the trade war that Russia started against the Republic of Moldova. In 2006, we had a conflict with the involvement of the Russian Federation regarding the cessation of negotiations on February 28, 2006 in the Transnistrian settlement process. The chief negotiator on behalf of the Republic of Moldova, Vasile Sova, left the meeting where the Transnistrian conflict was discussed, and the resumption of negotiations on the Transnistrian region took place only in April 2012. In six years," said the permanent expert of IPN’s project.
Igor Boţan also underlined the impact of the establishment of the EUBAM Mission on the Moldovan-Ukrainian border on the Transnistrian segment.
"In 2005, due to the efforts of the communist government, the EUBAM mission was introduced at the border of the Republic of Moldova with Ukraine on the Transnistrian segment and this was interpreted by both Tiraspol and Moscow as a kind of blockade imposed on the Transnistrian region. Russia decided to respond to the so-called blockade on the part of the Republic of Moldova by introducing economic pressure, embargoes against the Republic of Moldova," said the expert.
Igor Boţan recalled that the so-called Kozak Memorandum of 2003 was another major cause of the trade war imposed by Russia.
"In addition, in 2003 there was also the story with the Kozak Memorandum, through which Russia wanted to impose the federalization of the Republic of Moldova, with three subjects, two of which had a pro-Russian orientation, to block the Republic of Moldova. This was the story that led to the imposition of embargoes,” pointed out the expert.
The public debate entitled "Bad side and good side of Russian embargoes" was held as part of the series of debates "Developing political culture through public debates". IPN Agency carries out this project with support from the German Hanns Seidel Foundation.
