Europe Day with an eye to Moscow

For the Moldovans, the Europe Day celebrations began on May 18 and will continue until May 26. They did not coincide with the May 9 ceremonies elsewhere in Europe, because on that date, the Moldovan government preferred to commemorate WWII Victory Day in the presence of Russian Deputy Premier, Dmitri Rogozine. In the Jurnal de Chişinău, Petru Bogatu deplores what he terms “an abundant flow of misery in the Grand National Assembly Square.” The noted op-ed writer continues —

The orgies indulged in by the Russians on the occasion of ‘Victory Day’ are proof that, 22 years after our declaration of independence, we have plumbed new depths in shiftless politics. With regard to European standards, the behaviour of our leaders can best be described as ‘anything goes’.

The Europe Day celebrations were opened by the European Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighbourhood Policy, Štefan Füle, who called on Moldovan authorities to do “all they could for the democratisation of the Republic.” However, Jurnal de Chişinău insists that Russia ”has reconquered Moldova without tanks or artillery.” The newspaper adds that “President Putin’s emissary has indicated the next road, leads east rather than west,” and voices its hope that the new Leancă government, confirmed on May 15, will extricate the country from this ambiguity.