President of the Autonomous Territorial Unit of Gagauzia: “I hope Turkey will not allow the violation of Gagauzia’s special status”

Evghenia Gutul, the President of the Autonomous Territorial Unit of Gagauzia, emphasized that they expect Turkey not to allow the violation of the region’s special status by the Moldovan government.
Evghenia Gutul, the President of the Autonomous Territorial Unit of Gagauzia, which is affiliated with Moldova, gave an interview during the breaks of the 2024 World Youth Festival held in Russia. Evaluating Moldovan President Maia Sandu’s proposal to hold a referendum in the country for European Union membership, Gutsul said, “In the Gagauzia referendum on February 2, 2014, the people clearly decided to strengthen ties with Russia.” Gutsul emphasized that disagreements between the central government and the autonomous administration would be rapidly resolved through dialogue with the development of political culture and the emergence of new responsible politicians with a state mentality coming to power. Gutul, stating that Moldovan President Maia Sandu’s European integration policy, pursued without considering national interests, is a fairy tale that deceived Moldovan voters, said, “The reality has turned out to be different. The people faced economic stagnation, a decrease in exports, high inflation rates, and increasing public service tariffs instead of the ‘European standard of living’. The European integration policy is being pursued by Maia Sandu disregarding national interests and contrary to the attitude of Gagauz residents.”

Request for help from Turkey
Gutul expressed her hope that Turkey would pressure the Moldovan authorities and not allow the violation of the region’s special legal status. Gutul said, “In my meeting with Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan last September, I mentioned the discriminatory policies of the ruling party and the Moldovan President (Maia Sandu) towards the Gagauz people. We hope that Ankara will influence the Moldovan authorities and not allow the violation of our special legal status.”

Dispute between Gagauzia and Chisinau
In May of last year, Gutul, the candidate of the pro-Russian Shor party, won the presidential election held in the autonomous region of Gagauzia. The Moldovan government declared the Shor party “illegal” in June, accusing it of cooperating with Russia. Following the election of the president of Gagauzia, the Moldovan government began to exert pressure on the region. In October 2023, a bill proposed by the ruling party in the Moldovan parliament was passed, which stipulated that value-added tax (VAT) for businesses in the autonomous region should be covered by the budget of the autonomous region, not the national budget. Additionally, Moldovan President Sandu has not yet signed the decree approving Gutul’s government membership despite the laws.
Gagauzia, an autonomous region in southern Moldova, leans towards closer ties with Russia, while the Moldovan government adopts a policy of integration with Europe. In February 2014, a referendum was held in Gagauzia to determine Moldova’s foreign policy, with over 98% of voters showing a preference for Moldova’s integration with the Customs Union established by Russia.