The embargo imposed by Russia on Moldovan wines in 2006 had a significant impact on the wine industry, including Russian investors operating in the Republic of Moldova, but not on the population of the Republic of Moldova, economic expert Vyacheslav Ioniță stated in a public debate hosted by IPN. According to him, the real purpose of the trade restrictions imposed by Moscow was not only economic, but also political in character.
"Through this crisis, Russia wanted to hit the political authorities in Chisinau. At that time, the communists were in power, and Mr. Voronin was the first to say that the Republic of Moldova was integrating into the European Union. Also, Russia wanted to hit the population so that the population would put pressure on the political authorities," said the expert of the Institute for Development and Social Initiative "Viitorul".
According to him, from an economic point of view, the 2006 embargo mainly affected the wine sector and also the related industries, such as grape production and bottle manufacturing. However, the impact was not felt directly by the population.
"The sector was affected. The political class and the citizens were not affected because the Republic of Moldova at that time received monthly transfers from abroad from our citizens, equivalent to the annual revenues from wine. Politically, the Government was not affected because this embargo does not affect the trade balance, does not affect the balance of payments and the population's income. The political impact was nil. What was felt was the blow to the sector and adjoining fields. In the same context, Russian investors operating in the wine sector in the Republic of Moldova suffered a lot," said Vyacheslav Ioniță.
He also said that Romania was the first country to come to the aid of the Republic of Moldova, importing a part of the quantities of wine that were previously exported to the Russian market. This support helped to mitigate the negative economic effects felt by Moldovan producers.
"Romania was the country that helped us overcome the most critical phase of the embargo of 2006. The first country to absorb our wines was Romania, even though it had its own wines," concluded 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.
