Pressure on President Maia Sandu. George Simion asks to be received in the Republic of Moldova
New pressure is being put on President Maia Sandu by AUR leader George Simion. He again asked to be received in the Republic of Moldova. The new request appears right when Maia Sandu is coming to Bucharest.
The GOLD party organized a protest in Chisinau. AUR demands that the leader of the parties, the deputy George Simion, have the right to enter the Republic of Moldova.
The AUR party organized a protest in Chisinau demanding the lifting of the ban on entering the Republic of Moldova for its leader in Romania, George Simion. The event in Chisinau, last weekend, was attended by members of the AUR branch in the Republic of Moldova. A video recording of this action was posted on the internet by the president of the branch, Vlad Bilețchi. The protest was held in front of the headquarters of the Presidency of the Republic of Moldova. The action took place exactly when the head of state, Maia Sandu, was preparing to visit Bucharest.
George Simion is a member of the Romanian Parliament and co-chair of the AUR party. George Simion has a program since 2018, a ban on entering the Republic of Moldova. This restriction is valid for five years, ie until 2023.
George Simion’s diplomatic passport was useless
Simion tried to reach the Republic of Moldova despite the ban. Most recently, he actually used to become a parliamentarian in December 2020, so he now holds a diplomatic passport. However, the Moldovan authorities blocked his access. The incident was registered in the spring of 2021. At that time, the deputy Simion said that he wanted to enter the Republic of Moldova to participate in the ceremonies related to the death of the writer Nicolae Dabija. Simion left Romania at Albita but was stopped at Leuseni customs, ie at the entrance to the Republic of Moldova.
“If necessary, I will stay here until 2023, to allow me access to the Republic of Moldova. I ask for diplomatic assistance, I am waiting for the authorities in Chisinau, the Presidency and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to clarify this situation “, said the deputy George Simion.
After the incident in March 2021, the Presidency of the Republic of Moldova, led by Maia Sandu, issued a statement. The Presidency stated that it could not intervene in a issue of lifting a ban on entry into the country. The manner of annulling the interdiction is a court sentence in this regard, the Presidency of the Republic of Moldova said.
As it is known, Maia Sandu will arrive in Romania and will meet with President Klaus Iohannis. It is unlikely that, in Bucharest, George Simion will end up talking personally with Maia Sandu. Such a meeting would create a delicate diplomatic situation.
In the interest of Romania or Russia?
AUR members from the Republic of Moldova present George Simion as a “nationalist patriot”. In AUR’s opinion, the ban on George Simion must be lifted by President Maia Sandu on the grounds that it was instituted under the mandate of the former head of state, Igor Dodon. Unlike Maia Sandu, Igor Dodon was pro-Russian.
In the Republic of Moldova, it is claimed that AUR supporters voted for Maia Sandu’s PAS party.
Prior to the 2018 ban, the first ban against George Simion was imposed in March 2009. He then claimed that George Simion had violated public order in the Republic of Moldova. In 2009, the President of the Republic of Moldova was Vladimir Voronin, who, like Dodon, is pro-Russian.
In December 2014, George Simion’s access to the Republic of Moldova was blocked again, being taken off the bus coming to Chisinau. At that time, Simion was the leader of the unionist group “Action 2012”.
The Republic of Moldova invokes its national security
In May 2015, just before a protest being prepared in Chisinau, Simion was again an undesirable declaration, for a period of five years, citing reasons related to the national security of the Republic of Moldova. However, only after a few months, in September 2015, the decision to expel Simion was suspended in court, and in February 2016 it was annulled.
In 2018, George Simion was accused of behaving aggressively at a customs control point of the Republic of Moldova, as a result of which a new entry ban was applied. It will expire in 2023.
In the Republic of Moldova, Simion is presented as a Romanian nationalist. For its part, Russia accuses the “Action 2012” group of being extremist. Instead, in Romania there are voices claiming that the AUR party, led by Simion, is playing the game of Russia.
Cristian Diaconescu, the president of the PMP, made such a critical statement just yesterday. Diaconescu was Romania’s foreign minister. Cristian Diaconescu criticized the AUR party after talking to George Simion. Diaconescu accused AUR of “a certain philorusism that I did not see strongly challenged.” Diaconescu made this comment to justify which PMP does not accept an alliance with AUR.
“If necessary, I will stay here until 2023, to allow me access to the Republic of Moldova. I am waiting for the authorities in Chisinau, the Presidency and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to clarify this situation “
George Simion,
GOLD Co-Chair