Russian mass media often compare the recent developments in Moldova with Maidan. During the online press conference under the “Dialogues” International Press Club for the Armenian Media: For the diversification of international information sources for the Armenian media” project of the “Region” Research Center, which is supported by the OSCE Office in Yerevan, Aravot.am asked the Head of the Research Institute for diplomatic, political and security, also former Deputy Foreign and European Integration Minister of Moldova, Valeriu Ostalep, whether this approach is justified or it is another manifestation of Russian propaganda.
He replied, “In practice, journalism, no matter what you do, sooner or later, is compared with propaganda. I already do not pay attention to such cliché long ago. In the end, the journalist, like each individual, has a subjective perception of occurrences and it absolutely does not matter whether he/she represents the CNN, 1-in channel or a Moldovan TV company. And if someone with his short wit calls the occurrences in Moldova a Maidan or a revolution, I’m not in a hurry to attribute it to the Russian propaganda. It is just the inadequate perception of the Moldova events by the journalist. And once again, I must stress that the Russian mass media do not particularly cover the Moldova events, hence I did not notice Russian propaganda in Moldova”.
To our next question of whether he agrees with the claims that the belief is increasingly strengthened that the role of the CSTO in Armenia’s security carries purely formal nature, particularly on the background of what happened in Dushanbe, when actually no references was made by any leader of the CSTO member countries, as well as at the level of organization, regarding the situation created in the Armenian-Azerbaijani contact line, Mr. Ostalep said, “Your security system is such that requires more and more efforts every year to ensure regional security. The need both for financial and human resources will grow, at the same time the risks will also grow.”
Ostalep also touched upon the main drawback of the Eastern Partnership program – its weak ties with the actual processes. He went into details, “Now, it is already obvious that the authors of the 2008 document had no idea about the existing situation in our region. The EU was prepared for a major geopolitical confrontation with Russia and it was necessary for them to hastily create a format that would enable to pull a certain number of “participants”. Naturally, it did not work out for them, and the results of the Eastern Partnership are disastrous.”
There was also a reference to the activities of the CIS. By Valeriu Ostalep, the efficiency of any organization depends on its members’ objectives and launched efforts. The expert thinks that the CIS has never lost its urgency and necessity.
Tatev HARUTYUNYAN
