{"id":159281,"date":"2009-08-27T16:04:20","date_gmt":"2009-08-27T16:04:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/new.moldova.org\/2009\/08\/27\/moldova-needlessly-alienates-neighbors-203440-eng\/"},"modified":"2009-08-27T16:04:20","modified_gmt":"2009-08-27T16:04:20","slug":"moldova-needlessly-alienates-neighbors-203440-eng","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.moldova.org\/en\/moldova-needlessly-alienates-neighbors-203440-eng\/","title":{"rendered":"Moldova needlessly alienates neighbors"},"content":{"rendered":"<span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading Time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 5<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span><p><em>By Louis O&rsquo;Neill<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Moldova&rsquo;s new government has some major work to do to fix the relationships with Romania and Ukraine, which deteriorated under the Communists.<\/p>\n<p>In his poem &ldquo;Mending Wall,&rdquo; poet Robert Frost concludes regretfully that &ldquo;good fences make good neighbors.&rdquo; If true, then Moldova&rsquo;s new government has some major fence-mending to do with its next-door nations, Romania and Ukraine.  Relations with them have deteriorated, although for very different reasons.<\/p>\n<p>The Moldovan Communists, in power for many years under outgoing President Vladimir Voronin until their defeat in the July 29 re-run parliamentary election &ndash; have employed self-defeating belligerence towards their neighbor to the west.  The constant drumbeat of unsubstantiated accusations and invective against Bucharest, particularly during the two recent election campaigns, has alienated voters and vexed officials in Romania and the European Union. The forced construct of an external enemy across the Prut River allegedly out to &ldquo;destroy Moldovan sovereignty&rdquo; fell flat with an electorate looking for European integration and concrete improvements in their lives.  The visa war that ensued simply made Moldova look silly, which in its current impoverished and chaotic state, is the last thing the country needs.<\/p>\n<p>Voronin&rsquo;s inherent anti-Romanian bias &ndash; he is among the few outside of Transnistria and Moscow&rsquo;s propaganda bureaus who believe in the existence of the &ldquo;Moldovan&rdquo; language &ndash; has not served his country&rsquo;s interests well. Supporters might spin his aggressive approach as an attempt to reassure Tiraspol, and more importantly Moscow, that there would be no danger of Moldovan reunification with Romania on Voronin&rsquo;s extended watch.  But this apologia doesn&rsquo;t fly.<\/p>\n<p>First of all, reunification at the hands of the &ldquo;unionists&rdquo; (as the Communists and some others called the pro-West reform candidates) or anyone else is far from realistic. It is consistently supported by less than 10 percent of the Moldovan population.  Second, there has not been, unfortunately, any serious progress on Transdnistrian settlement for years, regardless of whether Chisinau has been sensitive to Tiraspol&rsquo;s views or ignored them.  And third, every draft settlement document ever produced contains an escape clause for Transdnistria to go its own way should Moldova lose its sovereignty.<\/p>\n<p>Rather, Voronin&rsquo;s Romania-bashing was about getting votes and currying favor with Moscow. And from the latter quarter, the incumbents did extract some dividends. Those included Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov&rsquo;s first visit to Chisinau just before the April elections, the Kremlin&rsquo;s strong political support during and after the riots protesting alleged election fraud, and the pre-electoral promise of a $500 million loan, whose execution is still pending. But as a campaign strategy with Moldova&rsquo;s evolving electorate, it backfired.  Now the mess in Moldovan-Romanian relations needs to be cleaned up, and credibility with cautious Brussels bureaucrats re-established.<\/p>\n<p>Thus, the new coalition government should immediately follow through on its promise to eliminate the visa requirement that the Communists slapped on Romanians in April. This has been a pointless impediment to everything that European integration stands for and little progress with Brussels will be possible while it stands. Equally unhelpful was Moldova&rsquo;s expulsion of the Romanian ambassador after the post-election violence.  Romania should send, and Chisinau should welcome, a new ambassador as soon as possible to return relations to a normal track.<\/p>\n<p>The Foreign Ministry in Chisinau has been lamenting for years the lack of progress on signing border and political treaties with Romania.<\/p>\n<p>For their part, the Romanians are reluctant to formalize the 1947 Paris Peace Treaty. In their view, it consolidated the secret protocols of the 1939 Molotov-Ribbentrop deal and subsequent duress-driven 1940 Romanian-Soviet agreement that gave Bessarabia (now Moldova) to the U.S.S.R.  This is an anachronistic excuse because the whole world, at least formally, has long recognized Moldova&rsquo;s sovereignty and territorial integrity in its post-Soviet borders.<\/p>\n<p>In a sign of progress, Romanian Foreign Minister Cristian Diaconescu recently indicated that Bucharest may be ready to abandon its historical bogeyman and sign the treaties, along with a third accord on visa-free travel for Moldovans living near the border. The sides should get this done as soon as possible.<\/p>\n<p>While high and unhelpful drama have characterized Moldova&rsquo;s relations with Romania, those with Ukraine have been fraught with a malignant neglect.  Indeed, for some years the ruling Communists have seemed to pretend that their giant neighbor &ndash; which completely encases rebel Transnistria and buffers Moldova from Russia by some 600 kilometers &ndash; simply didn&rsquo;t exist. High-level visits almost never took place. Ukrainian diplomats lamented the lack of responsiveness by their Moldovan counterparts on key issues. And the literal building of fences &ndash; the demarcation and registration of the official borders between the two countries &ndash; has moved ahead at a snail&rsquo;s pace. This kind of laxity with what could and should be an enormous political and economic ally is at best diplomatic nonfeasance.<\/p>\n<p>Moldova&rsquo;s neglect of its relationship with Ukraine is perhaps best illustrated by the initial inclusion of Moldovan citizens in Kyiv&rsquo;s new rules requiring visitors from 82 countries, mostly in Central Asia, Africa and Asia, to prove substantial financial resources before being allowed into Ukraine. While Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko has promised to remove Moldova from the list at the next cabinet meeting, a neighboring country with active and healthy relations would not have been so slighted in the first place.<\/p>\n<p>There is also much room for improvement in the physical links between Moldova and Ukraine. For example, it is hard to believe that there are no direct air flights between Chisinau and Kyiv, forcing businessmen and travelers to either drive five hours and face harassment at the Transnistrian boundary or fly through distant third cities. The new Moldovan government should get to the bottom of any bureaucratic or nepotistic limitations on its side that might have created this strange and inefficient situation. To be successful, Moldova must be more deeply integrated with its neighbors and this is an easy first step.<\/p>\n<p>A bright spot in bilateral relations has been the recent extension of the European Union&rsquo;s border assistance mission for another two years.  Ukraine might consider allowing co-location of Moldovan customs agents on its territory. This would help Chisinau reassert itself over its internationally recognized borders while at the same time offering a tremendous boon to Transnistrian businesses who are suffering due to the world economic crisis.<\/p>\n<p>In its grand formative declaration, Moldova&rsquo;s four-party Alliance for European Integration outlined in broad terms its desire for the &ldquo;reestablishment and consolidation of good neighborly relations&rdquo; with Romania and Ukraine. These nice words need to be put into action. On the 70th anniversary of the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact, it is time for Moldova to join a modern world characterized by integration, communication and open borders, not self-isolation, political antagonism and intrigue.<\/p>\n<p>The new Moldovan government will have a chance to create a rule-based system that allows its citizens to reach their potential. An important part of that is getting its diplomacy right &ndash; not just with neighbors Romania and Ukraine, but with Brussels, Moscow and other as well.  In so doing, Moldova&rsquo;s leaders might keep in mind Frost&rsquo;s deeper recommendation:<\/p>\n<p>Before I built a wall I&rsquo;d ask to know<\/p>\n<p>What I was walling in or walling out,<\/p>\n<p>And to whom I was like to give offense.<\/p>\n<p>Something there is that doesn&rsquo;t love a wall,<\/p>\n<p>That wants it down&hellip;<\/p>\n\n<p>&#8212;<br \/>\n<em>Louis O&rsquo;Neill was Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) ambassador and head of mission to Moldova from 2006 to 2008.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading Time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 5<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span>Moldova\u2019s new government has some major work to do to fix the relationships with Romania and Ukraine, which deteriorated under the Communists.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":159280,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-159281","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics"],"content_social_share":"<span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading Time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 5<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span><p><em>By Louis O&rsquo;Neill<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Moldova&rsquo;s new government has some major work to do to fix the relationships with Romania and Ukraine, which deteriorated under the Communists.<\/p>\n<p>In his poem &ldquo;Mending Wall,&rdquo; poet Robert Frost concludes regretfully that &ldquo;good fences make good neighbors.&rdquo; If true, then Moldova&rsquo;s new government has some major fence-mending to do with its next-door nations, Romania and Ukraine.  Relations with them have deteriorated, although for very different reasons.<\/p>\n<p>The Moldovan Communists, in power for many years under outgoing President Vladimir Voronin until their defeat in the July 29 re-run parliamentary election &ndash; have employed self-defeating belligerence towards their neighbor to the west.  The constant drumbeat of unsubstantiated accusations and invective against Bucharest, particularly during the two recent election campaigns, has alienated voters and vexed officials in Romania and the European Union. The forced construct of an external enemy across the Prut River allegedly out to &ldquo;destroy Moldovan sovereignty&rdquo; fell flat with an electorate looking for European integration and concrete improvements in their lives.  The visa war that ensued simply made Moldova look silly, which in its current impoverished and chaotic state, is the last thing the country needs.<\/p>\n<p>Voronin&rsquo;s inherent anti-Romanian bias &ndash; he is among the few outside of Transnistria and Moscow&rsquo;s propaganda bureaus who believe in the existence of the &ldquo;Moldovan&rdquo; language &ndash; has not served his country&rsquo;s interests well. Supporters might spin his aggressive approach as an attempt to reassure Tiraspol, and more importantly Moscow, that there would be no danger of Moldovan reunification with Romania on Voronin&rsquo;s extended watch.  But this apologia doesn&rsquo;t fly.<\/p>\n<p>First of all, reunification at the hands of the &ldquo;unionists&rdquo; (as the Communists and some others called the pro-West reform candidates) or anyone else is far from realistic. It is consistently supported by less than 10 percent of the Moldovan population.  Second, there has not been, unfortunately, any serious progress on Transdnistrian settlement for years, regardless of whether Chisinau has been sensitive to Tiraspol&rsquo;s views or ignored them.  And third, every draft settlement document ever produced contains an escape clause for Transdnistria to go its own way should Moldova lose its sovereignty.<\/p>\n<p>Rather, Voronin&rsquo;s Romania-bashing was about getting votes and currying favor with Moscow. And from the latter quarter, the incumbents did extract some dividends. Those included Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov&rsquo;s first visit to Chisinau just before the April elections, the Kremlin&rsquo;s strong political support during and after the riots protesting alleged election fraud, and the pre-electoral promise of a $500 million loan, whose execution is still pending. But as a campaign strategy with Moldova&rsquo;s evolving electorate, it backfired.  Now the mess in Moldovan-Romanian relations needs to be cleaned up, and credibility with cautious Brussels bureaucrats re-established.<\/p>\n<p>Thus, the new coalition government should immediately follow through on its promise to eliminate the visa requirement that the Communists slapped on Romanians in April. This has been a pointless impediment to everything that European integration stands for and little progress with Brussels will be possible while it stands. Equally unhelpful was Moldova&rsquo;s expulsion of the Romanian ambassador after the post-election violence.  Romania should send, and Chisinau should welcome, a new ambassador as soon as possible to return relations to a normal track.<\/p>\n<p>The Foreign Ministry in Chisinau has been lamenting for years the lack of progress on signing border and political treaties with Romania.<\/p>\n<p>For their part, the Romanians are reluctant to formalize the 1947 Paris Peace Treaty. In their view, it consolidated the secret protocols of the 1939 Molotov-Ribbentrop deal and subsequent duress-driven 1940 Romanian-Soviet agreement that gave Bessarabia (now Moldova) to the U.S.S.R.  This is an anachronistic excuse because the whole world, at least formally, has long recognized Moldova&rsquo;s sovereignty and territorial integrity in its post-Soviet borders.<\/p>\n<p>In a sign of progress, Romanian Foreign Minister Cristian Diaconescu recently indicated that Bucharest may be ready to abandon its historical bogeyman and sign the treaties, along with a third accord on visa-free travel for Moldovans living near the border. The sides should get this done as soon as possible.<\/p>\n<p>While high and unhelpful drama have characterized Moldova&rsquo;s relations with Romania, those with Ukraine have been fraught with a malignant neglect.  Indeed, for some years the ruling Communists have seemed to pretend that their giant neighbor &ndash; which completely encases rebel Transnistria and buffers Moldova from Russia by some 600 kilometers &ndash; simply didn&rsquo;t exist. High-level visits almost never took place. Ukrainian diplomats lamented the lack of responsiveness by their Moldovan counterparts on key issues. And the literal building of fences &ndash; the demarcation and registration of the official borders between the two countries &ndash; has moved ahead at a snail&rsquo;s pace. This kind of laxity with what could and should be an enormous political and economic ally is at best diplomatic nonfeasance.<\/p>\n<p>Moldova&rsquo;s neglect of its relationship with Ukraine is perhaps best illustrated by the initial inclusion of Moldovan citizens in Kyiv&rsquo;s new rules requiring visitors from 82 countries, mostly in Central Asia, Africa and Asia, to prove substantial financial resources before being allowed into Ukraine. While Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko has promised to remove Moldova from the list at the next cabinet meeting, a neighboring country with active and healthy relations would not have been so slighted in the first place.<\/p>\n<p>There is also much room for improvement in the physical links between Moldova and Ukraine. For example, it is hard to believe that there are no direct air flights between Chisinau and Kyiv, forcing businessmen and travelers to either drive five hours and face harassment at the Transnistrian boundary or fly through distant third cities. The new Moldovan government should get to the bottom of any bureaucratic or nepotistic limitations on its side that might have created this strange and inefficient situation. To be successful, Moldova must be more deeply integrated with its neighbors and this is an easy first step.<\/p>\n<p>A bright spot in bilateral relations has been the recent extension of the European Union&rsquo;s border assistance mission for another two years.  Ukraine might consider allowing co-location of Moldovan customs agents on its territory. This would help Chisinau reassert itself over its internationally recognized borders while at the same time offering a tremendous boon to Transnistrian businesses who are suffering due to the world economic crisis.<\/p>\n<p>In its grand formative declaration, Moldova&rsquo;s four-party Alliance for European Integration outlined in broad terms its desire for the &ldquo;reestablishment and consolidation of good neighborly relations&rdquo; with Romania and Ukraine. These nice words need to be put into action. On the 70th anniversary of the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact, it is time for Moldova to join a modern world characterized by integration, communication and open borders, not self-isolation, political antagonism and intrigue.<\/p>\n<p>The new Moldovan government will have a chance to create a rule-based system that allows its citizens to reach their potential. An important part of that is getting its diplomacy right &ndash; not just with neighbors Romania and Ukraine, but with Brussels, Moscow and other as well.  In so doing, Moldova&rsquo;s leaders might keep in mind Frost&rsquo;s deeper recommendation:<\/p>\n<p>Before I built a wall I&rsquo;d ask to know<\/p>\n<p>What I was walling in or walling out,<\/p>\n<p>And to whom I was like to give offense.<\/p>\n<p>Something there is that doesn&rsquo;t love a wall,<\/p>\n<p>That wants it down&hellip;<\/p>\n\n<p>&#8212;<br \/>\n<em>Louis O&rsquo;Neill was Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) ambassador and head of mission to Moldova from 2006 to 2008.<\/em><\/p>\n<div class='heateorSssClear'><\/div><div  class='heateor_sss_sharing_container heateor_sss_horizontal_sharing' data-heateor-sss-href='https:\/\/www.moldova.org\/en\/moldova-needlessly-alienates-neighbors-203440-eng\/' data-heateor-sss-no-counts=\"1\"><div class='heateor_sss_sharing_title' style=\"font-weight:bold\" ><\/div><div class=\"heateor_sss_sharing_ul\"><a aria-label=\"Facebook\" class=\"heateor_sss_facebook\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.moldova.org%2Fen%2Fmoldova-needlessly-alienates-neighbors-203440-eng%2F\" title=\"Facebook\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"font-size:32px!important;box-shadow:none;display:inline-block;vertical-align:middle\"><span class=\"heateor_sss_svg\" style=\"background-color:#0765FE;width:100px;height:35px;display:inline-block;opacity:1;float:left;font-size:32px;box-shadow:none;display:inline-block;font-size:16px;padding:0 4px;vertical-align:middle;background-repeat:repeat;overflow:hidden;padding:0;cursor:pointer;box-sizing:content-box\"><svg style=\"display:block;\" focusable=\"false\" aria-hidden=\"true\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"100%\" height=\"100%\" viewBox=\"0 0 32 32\"><path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M28 16c0-6.627-5.373-12-12-12S4 9.373 4 16c0 5.628 3.875 10.35 9.101 11.647v-7.98h-2.474V16H13.1v-1.58c0-4.085 1.849-5.978 5.859-5.978.76 0 2.072.15 2.608.298v3.325c-.283-.03-.775-.045-1.386-.045-1.967 0-2.728.745-2.728 2.683V16h3.92l-.673 3.667h-3.247v8.245C23.395 27.195 28 22.135 28 16Z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/a><a aria-label=\"Twitter\" class=\"heateor_sss_button_twitter\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=Moldova%20needlessly%20alienates%20neighbors&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.moldova.org%2Fen%2Fmoldova-needlessly-alienates-neighbors-203440-eng%2F\" title=\"Twitter\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"font-size:32px!important;box-shadow:none;display:inline-block;vertical-align:middle\"><span class=\"heateor_sss_svg heateor_sss_s__default heateor_sss_s_twitter\" style=\"background-color:#55acee;width:100px;height:35px;display:inline-block;opacity:1;float:left;font-size:32px;box-shadow:none;display:inline-block;font-size:16px;padding:0 4px;vertical-align:middle;background-repeat:repeat;overflow:hidden;padding:0;cursor:pointer;box-sizing:content-box\"><svg style=\"display:block;\" focusable=\"false\" aria-hidden=\"true\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"100%\" height=\"100%\" viewBox=\"-4 -4 39 39\"><path d=\"M28 8.557a9.913 9.913 0 0 1-2.828.775 4.93 4.93 0 0 0 2.166-2.725 9.738 9.738 0 0 1-3.13 1.194 4.92 4.92 0 0 0-3.593-1.55 4.924 4.924 0 0 0-4.794 6.049c-4.09-.21-7.72-2.17-10.15-5.15a4.942 4.942 0 0 0-.665 2.477c0 1.71.87 3.214 2.19 4.1a4.968 4.968 0 0 1-2.23-.616v.06c0 2.39 1.7 4.38 3.952 4.83-.414.115-.85.174-1.297.174-.318 0-.626-.03-.928-.086a4.935 4.935 0 0 0 4.6 3.42 9.893 9.893 0 0 1-6.114 2.107c-.398 0-.79-.023-1.175-.068a13.953 13.953 0 0 0 7.55 2.213c9.056 0 14.01-7.507 14.01-14.013 0-.213-.005-.426-.015-.637.96-.695 1.795-1.56 2.455-2.55z\" fill=\"#fff\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/a><a aria-label=\"Odnoklassniki\" class=\"heateor_sss_button_odnoklassniki\" href=\"https:\/\/connect.ok.ru\/dk?cmd=WidgetSharePreview&st.cmd=WidgetSharePreview&st.shareUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.moldova.org%2Fen%2Fmoldova-needlessly-alienates-neighbors-203440-eng%2F&st.client_id=-1\" title=\"Odnoklassniki\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"font-size:32px!important;box-shadow:none;display:inline-block;vertical-align:middle\"><span class=\"heateor_sss_svg heateor_sss_s__default heateor_sss_s_odnoklassniki\" style=\"background-color:#f2720c;width:100px;height:35px;display:inline-block;opacity:1;float:left;font-size:32px;box-shadow:none;display:inline-block;font-size:16px;padding:0 4px;vertical-align:middle;background-repeat:repeat;overflow:hidden;padding:0;cursor:pointer;box-sizing:content-box\"><svg style=\"display:block;\" focusable=\"false\" aria-hidden=\"true\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"100%\" height=\"100%\" viewBox=\"0 0 32 32\"><path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M16 16.16a6.579 6.579 0 0 1-6.58-6.58A6.578 6.578 0 0 1 16 3a6.58 6.58 0 1 1 .002 13.16zm0-9.817a3.235 3.235 0 0 0-3.236 3.237 3.234 3.234 0 0 0 3.237 3.236 3.236 3.236 0 1 0 .004-6.473zm7.586 10.62c.647 1.3-.084 1.93-1.735 2.99-1.395.9-3.313 1.238-4.564 1.368l1.048 1.05 3.877 3.88c.59.59.59 1.543 0 2.133l-.177.18c-.59.59-1.544.59-2.134 0l-3.88-3.88-3.877 3.88c-.59.59-1.543.59-2.135 0l-.176-.18a1.505 1.505 0 0 1 0-2.132l3.88-3.877 1.042-1.046c-1.25-.127-3.19-.465-4.6-1.37-1.65-1.062-2.38-1.69-1.733-2.99.37-.747 1.4-1.367 2.768-.29C13.035 18.13 16 18.13 16 18.13s2.968 0 4.818-1.456c1.368-1.077 2.4-.457 2.768.29z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/a><a aria-label=\"Telegram\" class=\"heateor_sss_button_telegram\" href=\"https:\/\/telegram.me\/share\/url?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.moldova.org%2Fen%2Fmoldova-needlessly-alienates-neighbors-203440-eng%2F&text=Moldova%20needlessly%20alienates%20neighbors\" title=\"Telegram\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"font-size:32px!important;box-shadow:none;display:inline-block;vertical-align:middle\"><span class=\"heateor_sss_svg heateor_sss_s__default heateor_sss_s_telegram\" style=\"background-color:#3da5f1;width:100px;height:35px;display:inline-block;opacity:1;float:left;font-size:32px;box-shadow:none;display:inline-block;font-size:16px;padding:0 4px;vertical-align:middle;background-repeat:repeat;overflow:hidden;padding:0;cursor:pointer;box-sizing:content-box\"><svg style=\"display:block;\" focusable=\"false\" aria-hidden=\"true\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"100%\" height=\"100%\" viewBox=\"0 0 32 32\"><path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M25.515 6.896L6.027 14.41c-1.33.534-1.322 1.276-.243 1.606l5 1.56 1.72 5.66c.226.625.115.873.77.873.506 0 .73-.235 1.012-.51l2.43-2.363 5.056 3.734c.93.514 1.602.25 1.834-.863l3.32-15.638c.338-1.363-.52-1.98-1.41-1.577z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/a><\/div><div class=\"heateorSssClear\"><\/div><\/div><div class='heateorSssClear'><\/div>","yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Moldova needlessly alienates neighbors - Moldova.org<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.moldova.org\/en\/moldova-needlessly-alienates-neighbors-203440-eng\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Autor invitat\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.moldova.org\\\/en\\\/moldova-needlessly-alienates-neighbors-203440-eng\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.moldova.org\\\/en\\\/moldova-needlessly-alienates-neighbors-203440-eng\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Autor invitat\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.moldova.org\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/e590ccdfbd35fcd038aaf1b84370dadd\"},\"headline\":\"Moldova needlessly alienates neighbors\",\"datePublished\":\"2009-08-27T16:04:20+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.moldova.org\\\/en\\\/moldova-needlessly-alienates-neighbors-203440-eng\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1293,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.moldova.org\\\/en\\\/moldova-needlessly-alienates-neighbors-203440-eng\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"\",\"articleSection\":[\"Politics\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.moldova.org\\\/en\\\/moldova-needlessly-alienates-neighbors-203440-eng\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.moldova.org\\\/en\\\/moldova-needlessly-alienates-neighbors-203440-eng\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.moldova.org\\\/en\\\/moldova-needlessly-alienates-neighbors-203440-eng\\\/\",\"name\":\"Moldova needlessly alienates neighbors - Moldova.org\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.moldova.org\\\/en\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.moldova.org\\\/en\\\/moldova-needlessly-alienates-neighbors-203440-eng\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.moldova.org\\\/en\\\/moldova-needlessly-alienates-neighbors-203440-eng\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"\",\"datePublished\":\"2009-08-27T16:04:20+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.moldova.org\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/e590ccdfbd35fcd038aaf1b84370dadd\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.moldova.org\\\/en\\\/moldova-needlessly-alienates-neighbors-203440-eng\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.moldova.org\\\/en\\\/moldova-needlessly-alienates-neighbors-203440-eng\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.moldova.org\\\/en\\\/moldova-needlessly-alienates-neighbors-203440-eng\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"\",\"contentUrl\":\"\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.moldova.org\\\/en\\\/moldova-needlessly-alienates-neighbors-203440-eng\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.moldova.org\\\/en\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Moldova needlessly alienates neighbors\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.moldova.org\\\/en\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.moldova.org\\\/en\\\/\",\"name\":\"Moldova.org\",\"description\":\"The first news website of Moldova\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.moldova.org\\\/en\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.moldova.org\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/e590ccdfbd35fcd038aaf1b84370dadd\",\"name\":\"Autor invitat\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/f57d391b1fe13609c1c398a550a7b6f0e8babe6cd537d48bbeb806ba55c53094?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/f57d391b1fe13609c1c398a550a7b6f0e8babe6cd537d48bbeb806ba55c53094?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/f57d391b1fe13609c1c398a550a7b6f0e8babe6cd537d48bbeb806ba55c53094?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Autor invitat\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.moldova.org\\\/en\\\/author\\\/admin\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Moldova needlessly alienates neighbors - Moldova.org","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.moldova.org\/en\/moldova-needlessly-alienates-neighbors-203440-eng\/","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Autor invitat","Estimated reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.moldova.org\/en\/moldova-needlessly-alienates-neighbors-203440-eng\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.moldova.org\/en\/moldova-needlessly-alienates-neighbors-203440-eng\/"},"author":{"name":"Autor invitat","@id":"https:\/\/www.moldova.org\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/e590ccdfbd35fcd038aaf1b84370dadd"},"headline":"Moldova needlessly alienates neighbors","datePublished":"2009-08-27T16:04:20+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.moldova.org\/en\/moldova-needlessly-alienates-neighbors-203440-eng\/"},"wordCount":1293,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.moldova.org\/en\/moldova-needlessly-alienates-neighbors-203440-eng\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"","articleSection":["Politics"],"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.moldova.org\/en\/moldova-needlessly-alienates-neighbors-203440-eng\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.moldova.org\/en\/moldova-needlessly-alienates-neighbors-203440-eng\/","url":"https:\/\/www.moldova.org\/en\/moldova-needlessly-alienates-neighbors-203440-eng\/","name":"Moldova needlessly alienates neighbors - Moldova.org","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.moldova.org\/en\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.moldova.org\/en\/moldova-needlessly-alienates-neighbors-203440-eng\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.moldova.org\/en\/moldova-needlessly-alienates-neighbors-203440-eng\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"","datePublished":"2009-08-27T16:04:20+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.moldova.org\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/e590ccdfbd35fcd038aaf1b84370dadd"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.moldova.org\/en\/moldova-needlessly-alienates-neighbors-203440-eng\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.moldova.org\/en\/moldova-needlessly-alienates-neighbors-203440-eng\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.moldova.org\/en\/moldova-needlessly-alienates-neighbors-203440-eng\/#primaryimage","url":"","contentUrl":""},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.moldova.org\/en\/moldova-needlessly-alienates-neighbors-203440-eng\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.moldova.org\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Moldova needlessly alienates neighbors"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.moldova.org\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.moldova.org\/en\/","name":"Moldova.org","description":"The first news website of Moldova","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.moldova.org\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.moldova.org\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/e590ccdfbd35fcd038aaf1b84370dadd","name":"Autor invitat","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f57d391b1fe13609c1c398a550a7b6f0e8babe6cd537d48bbeb806ba55c53094?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f57d391b1fe13609c1c398a550a7b6f0e8babe6cd537d48bbeb806ba55c53094?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f57d391b1fe13609c1c398a550a7b6f0e8babe6cd537d48bbeb806ba55c53094?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Autor invitat"},"url":"https:\/\/www.moldova.org\/en\/author\/admin\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.moldova.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/159281","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.moldova.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.moldova.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.moldova.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.moldova.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=159281"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.moldova.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/159281\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.moldova.org\/en\/wp-json\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.moldova.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=159281"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.moldova.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=159281"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.moldova.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=159281"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}