Moscow, an invitation you can't refuse

The presence of an official Moldovan delegation at a ceremony to mark the defeat of Nazi Germany to be held in Moscow on 9 May has outraged public opinion and members of the country's ruling coalition, the Alliance for European Integration (AIE). In particular, the date evokes memories of Moldova's inclusion in the USSR and also the lingering question of the pro-Russian secessionist territory of Transnistria which the Romanian speaking republic lays claim to. The Jurnal de Chişinău reports that opponents of Moldovan participation at the event, who already organised a massive protest which brought thousands of demonstrators onto the streets of Chisnau at the end of April, will be none too pleased by the news that, under pressure from his party colleagues, acting president Mihai Ghimpu has now overcome his initial reticence and accepted the Russian invitation. However, Ghimpu, who recently signed a strategic partnership agreement with Romania, will not take part in a meeting of leaders of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) scheduled for 8 May. According to the daily, the affair has highlighted "an invisible conflict," between Russia and the West, and the "strategic role" of Moldova "in the establishment of new spheres of influence in the former territory of the Soviet Union."