Meeting with Moldovan politician Igor Dodon

Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko met with Moldovan politician and former President Igor Dodon, who currently serves as the leader of the Party of Socialists of the Republic of Moldova (PSRM), on 26 May.

“There is no need to cut this umbilical cord and sever relations with those with whom you have always found common ground. This is the main point for me. I wanted to say publicly that Moldova and its people hold a special place in our hearts and, I think, in the hearts of the entire former Soviet Union. We have always treated your people and your country with deep respect, and we do not want to lose this. I hope you feel the same way too,” the Belarusian leader said.

Aleksandr Lukashenko called for resuming the work of the Belarus-Moldova cooperation commission, which had been previously established between the two countries: “We need to move forward and look for new common ground.”

The Belarusian head of state also proposed discussing the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU): “There is plenty to talk about, and it is highly important that we are doing this today, as the EAEU summit is just days away. This union is the economic core of our commonwealth. It is very important for me to hear your thoughts and your opinion, which I will certainly convey to the heads of state I will be meeting with.”

The President emphasized that Moldovans should live as a proud and independent nation.

Addressing Igor Dodon, Aleksandr Lukashenko said: “I am glad to see you in good health and I can tell you are full of energy for many things ahead. I believe you will do a lot more good for your country, and not only for your country.”

“This may not be very diplomatic. But I want to hear an opinion from you, as a friend, on the issue of Moldova's sovereignty and independence. Recently, we’ve been hearing from all sorts of sources that Moldova is practically ready to become part of another state. I’ll be straightforward with you: as a person who is completely enamored with your country (and you know this perfectly well) when I hear these things and I'm absolutely horrified,” the Belarusian leader said.

“I’m not going to state the obvious: sovereignty and independence always come at a great cost and are the most important thing for any nation (you know that better than I do) but I would strongly ask both you and your supporters not to allow the destruction of such a flourishing, beautiful country as Moldova, even if it is small in size. You won’t find beauty like in Moldova anywhere else in the world. This is what Belarusians have always loved about your country. It was such a quiet, peaceful corner for people to live in and I believe it still is. We were always envious of you,” Aleksandr Lukashenko stated.

The head of state recalled his impressions from 2018, when during a visit to Moldova he and President Igor Dodon planted corn in a field not far from Chișinău: “It was on some kind of hill. And the image before my eyes: from there I looked out at Chișinău, and the city was completely enveloped in orchards. Everything around was in bloom, everything was blossoming, the whole city white.”

“So I find myself thinking: how can anyone give away such beauty and such a hardworking people, the Moldovans, who could move mountains to someone else or incorporate it into some other state? Therefore, I believe that for you as a patriot and for your supporters, the main thing is to preserve Moldova for the Moldovans,” the head of state said. “We understand this. No one needs us anywhere. Experience has already shown us (I don't want to name countries). It has shown us how we are treated.”

Aleksandr Lukashenko emphasized that there are no such things as small or large nations. They are all equal and great, especially in the eyes of politicians in any given country. “Therefore, the Moldovan people, a long-suffering people who have endured so much throughout their history, are a great people. They cannot be humiliated, belittled, or shoved somewhere, even into a very promising and developed country. You have earned your place under the sun. You need to live there and make your people happy. That is the main thing I wanted to tell you as a friend, taking advantage of our meeting,” the President said.

“Aleksandr Grigoryevich [Lukashenko], dear friend, and comrade of the Moldovan people! Hearing your words, I have mixed feelings: pride, respect, and resentment. Pride and respect toward you, because you spoke such kind, beautiful words about my homeland. But resentment because you understand what the current President of Moldova fails to see. For me, as a native Moldovan and a citizen of my country, and I hold no other citizenship, seeing the President of another country act as a bigger patriot of Moldova than our own current President truly breaks my heart,” the politician said.

Igor Dodon emphasized that this was not about his own political battles with Moldova’s President Maia Sandu. “We fought against the current President. I won against her once, and she won against me the second time. But we all swore on the Constitution to defend Moldova, to defend our country,” he noted. “Now, after realizing that European integration is going nowhere and that this path leads to bankruptcy, as today’s realities in Moldova clearly show, the current President has started pushing for the liquidation of the Moldovan state, as the saying goes: after me, the deluge. For us, this is a major problem.”

Igor Dodon thanked Aleksandr Lukashenko, stating that the Belarusian leader is the most widely supported foreign politician among Moldovan citizens. “This is no accident. What Belarus is doing serves as an example for us. We look up to the policies Belarus pursues, especially its socio-economic one and its approach amid this highly complex regional and geopolitical conflict,” he said.