Gagauzia Suffering Huge Losses From Moldova's Economic Pressure, Says Regional Leader
03:14 GMT 10.04.2024 (Updated: 09:22 GMT 10.04.2024)
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MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Moldova's autonomous region of Gagauzia is suffering colossal losses from an economic war unleashed by Moldovan authorities against the region, Gagauzia head Yevgenia Gutsul has told Sputnik.
"In fact, [Gagauzia is suffering] colossal losses, but we are combating it. That is why we are here today so that, despite everything that authorities in Chisinau are doing, the residents of Gagauzia do not feel this pressure and these losses that Gagauzia's autonomy and our partners are suffering now," she said.
She recalled the draft law that the authorities in Chisinau had tried to pass, which would have provided for the independent payment of value-added tax (VAT) by the region to economic agents.
"They wanted to reduce the budget of Gagauzia by 200 million lei [$11.38 million]. This is a quarter of our Gagauzia's autonomy's own budget. This would mean a complete bankruptcy of Gagauzia's autonomy because we would be deprived of many social projects," Gutsul added.
The official said that, fortunately, lawmakers of the Moldovan parliament managed to defend the old order of payments in the country's constitutional court, but the law was still in force from November 1, 2023, to February 22, 2024.
"All the payments that were collected on VAT, we have to pay them, but we are working so that the tax office also reviews all the payments to economic agents so that everything is in accordance with the law and everything is paid as the law says. If these payments were from November 1 to February 2024, we will pay them all," Gutsul said.
Gutsul also stated that citizens of Moldova are against the country's accession to the European Union as they would like to live in a sovereign and neutral country that would be friends with its neighbors.
She said Moldovans will vote in a referendum in October on whether they want Moldova to join the EU.
"I can say [on behalf of] the majority of the Republic of Moldova that the people would not want this. We would like to live in a sovereign, neutral and independent country, where we will be friends with all our neighbors: with the Russian Federation, with Ukraine, with Romania and with the European Union," Gutsul said.
Moldova does not need any military blocs, including NATO, she said, adding: "We are opposed to this."
On Possible Inclusion in Moldovan Cabinet
The head of Moldova's autonomous region of Gagauzia, Yevgenia Gutsul, has told Sputnik that there were no changes related to her appointment as a member of the Moldovan government despite the appeals by the autonomy's executive committee.
Last spring, Gutsul was elected to head Gagauzia's autonomous government, running on the platform of the opposition Shor party, which was later outlawed by the Moldovan authorities. Moldovan President Maia Sandu has refused to sign a decree to include Gutsul in the cabinet, claiming the regional leader was working in the interests of the Shor party, and not for the residents.
"So far, I do not see any progress on this issue. We appealed. We appealed on behalf of the executive committee, and last year the People's Assembly also appealed that she [Sandu] should include me in the government," Gutsul said.
Gagauzia head also said that no Moldovan president had ever allowed themselves to "violate the law on the special legal status of Gagauzia" that the region received in 1994.
"Today, the voice of Gagauzia is not heard at the government level. Today, the rights and powers of Gagauzia are being ignored in every possible way. Unfortunately, after Maia Sandu and her party assumed power, the rights and powers of the Gagauz autonomy have been infringed more and more," Gutsul told Sputnik.
At the same time, the autonomous region's head said that there "was no point in expecting a fair decision" on her lawsuit on protection of honor, dignity and business reputation against the incumbent Moldovan president while the latter's party was in power, adding that the lawyers were already working on the issue.
