Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu’s statements, according to which only Romanians live in Moldova, represent a gross interference in the affairs of the republic, said Maria Zakharova, the Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, during a press briefing held on Thursday.
The official TASS agency mentions that Prime Minister Ciolacu stated that in Moldova „there are no Moldovans, there is no Moldovan language, there is the Romanian language and Romanians.”
"We draw attention to the fact that such provocative statements by Romanian officials, which represent a gross interference in Moldovan internal affairs, remain without an adequate response from officials in Chișinău," emphasized the Russian Foreign Ministry representative.
"We are making this assessment now and will continue to do so. But this assessment must be made by everyone. Both by states organized along national lines that protect their ethnic representatives worldwide, and by international organizations to which the international community allocates funds solely to fulfill their mandate to protect human rights, prevent the resurgence of Nazism, fascism, and any other odious practices," commented Zakharova.
The statements from the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs come after representatives of the "Victory" political bloc, controlled by the fugitive oligarch Ilan Shor and formed in Moscow, organized a protest in front of the Romanian Embassy in Chișinău a week ago against Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu's statement that "there are no Moldovans, only Romanians."
Marcel Ciolacu stated that "Maia Sandu is the only European and democratic solution for Moldova."
The official added that "Romania will help Moldova because there are Romanians in Moldova. There are no Moldovans anymore, and there is no Moldovan language. It is the Romanian language and there are Romanians," emphasized Marcel Ciolacu.
The Romanian Prime Minister announced on Thursday in the government meeting that Romania will continue to export energy to Moldova as part of an aid package.
"First and foremost, we continue the energy export, an essential measure for the economic survival of our brothers. Thus, Russia's plan to kneel Moldova using the energy weapon has failed," commented the Prime Minister.
Ciolacu also said that the second level of support for Moldova is education, as part of the bilateral agreement.