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Video tags
Subtitles
Russian
00:00:02
A little less than a thousand.00:00:03
I am a president.00:00:04
It is not a political party but a gang.00:00:06
Isn't this censorship?00:00:07
This is not censorship.00:00:08
These are all banned in Moldova for no reason.00:00:11
I do not think that this is censorship.00:00:13
Can one protect democracy with undemocratic actions?00:00:15
Buying votes is not a democracy.00:00:18
Don't you violate the law?00:00:20
I know what I would do.00:00:51
Chisinau
Moldova00:00:56
Maia, we were always curious to meet a leader like you.
A liberal politician who became a president in a troubled, corrupt state.00:01:07
After winning the elections you have the power to bring your country to a brighter future.00:01:15
Have you managed to create a beautiful Moldova of the future? If yes, how did you do that? If not, why?00:01:22
We would like to talk to you about it - and not only it - today.00:01:26
Maia Sandu
51 years old
The President of Moldova
The founder of PAS00:01:33
We'll talk about internal policies later. Let's talk about the war.00:01:41
Our French colleagues filmed president Macron receiving the news about the war.00:01:48
They were filming him during that night of February 24, 2022.00:01:52
How did you spend the night?00:01:57
When I found out about the war..I could not believe it. It is hard to believe that we are witnessing this war in Europe nowadays.00:02:14
We held a Security Council meeting. All the ministers and other responsible authorities gathered to create a plan.00:02:36
Were you sleeping when the war began?00:02:38
Did someone wake up you?00:02:39
I woke up at 4 in the morning. I could hear the explosions.00:02:50
I read the news and started calling my colleagues.00:02:59
I was in my office by six in the morning. At 6:30 we held the first meeting.00:03:09
Our goal was to provide safety of our country and to support Ukrainian refugees from the first day of war.00:03:26
I will need to clarify some stuff. Who did you call first?00:03:30
I called the Minister of Defense and the Prime Minister.00:03:38
Did any of the leaders call you? Or did you call them?00:03:45
I received a lot of calls, I can't remember who called me first.00:03:51
I called Romania right away..00:03:59
I am hoping to hear an honest reply from you..00:04:04
Have you ever thought about President Zelensky's actions on February 24?00:04:11
Have you ever thought about being in his shoes?00:04:14
You are a president and your country gets attacked by a powerful enemy.00:04:21
You are located in the capital city and there are saboteurs walking around the city.00:04:26
Every country in the world offers you to escape.00:04:34
Zelensky made his brave choice and stayed.00:04:40
Have you ever thought about being in his shoes?00:04:53
I know what I would do. There is only one right choice, which is to stay.00:04:58
You are responsible for your people. You are in charge of their safety.00:05:03
This is the only choice. There can be no doubts about this.00:05:08
Even when they are shooting outside.00:05:10
You are a president, you were chosen to provide safety.00:05:19
People are looking at you. You must do your best to protect your nation.00:05:26
I am absolutely sure about this.00:05:29
Are you being honest?00:05:30
I am being honest.00:05:31
Of wine00:05:35
David
Freeda teacher00:05:37
David, I'm sorry for my face and my nose. They are red! I've caught a cold.00:05:42
Stop it! You look fresh as a cucumber!00:05:44
A cucumber?00:05:45
You look healthy. You look perfectly fine!00:05:47
Thanks a lot.00:05:49
About fifteen years ago Russia banned the import of Moldavian wine.00:05:56
Moldavian wine was well-known in the Soviet Union, even though it wasn't quite good.00:06:02
Recently they have decided to start selling their wine to Europe.00:06:10
But first they had to work on the quality of their wine.00:06:15
They have managed to change everything in these fifteen years.00:06:21
They now have some really cool wineries and their wines are being sold in Europe.00:06:33
I have a friend, who is also a blogger, he is a big fan of Moldavian wines.00:06:43
He's drinking Moldavian wine in Amsterdam bars.00:06:52
He comes to these bars to support Moldavian producers.00:07:00
I wanted to bring some wine here but the school didn't let me do it.00:07:10
Next time.00:07:12
I hope so..00:07:13
Many foreigners are moving to Spain and Catalonia, particularly.00:07:18
Spanish digital nomad visa has made Barcelona an attractive city for entrepreneurs, IT specialists, and creative people.00:07:27
If you are willing to move to Spain, you should know that learning Spanish is crucial for your comfortable stay.00:07:33
There is a whole bunch of universities, business-schools, and international companies located here where Spanish is required.00:07:40
Learning Spanish would also boost your adaptation.00:07:43
You can learn Spanish, English, and Catalan in Freeda language school.00:07:50
Native teachers and entertaining classes will help you learn the language as fast as possible.00:07:59
If you're already learning Spanish but you are willing to change your school, Freeda would welcome you, too.00:08:06
You would get a 10% discount.00:08:09
If you haven't moved to Spain yet let me remind you of a student visa.00:08:15
Freeda would help you to get the visa and walk you through the whole process.00:08:19
All the details are available via the link in the description below. Click on the link right now.00:08:25
Let me put it in one sentence.
Do you want to understand something at the parents meeting? Go to Freeda.00:08:33
Back to Moldova.00:08:36
When was the last time you cried?00:08:41
I can't remember. I guess, I cried when I watched a movie..00:08:55
Moldavian reporters are making documentaries in Ukraine. They even filmed at the frontline..00:09:07
I cried at the premiere.00:09:12
Did you watch it in the cinema?00:09:14
I did.00:09:16
What is the name of the movie?00:09:17
I can't remember the name..The Road to War: Irpin or something like that..00:09:22
Two Moldavian reporters happened to be in Ukraine on February 24. One of them was in Odessa and another was close to the frontline.00:09:42
I cried when I watched their documentary. And I think it was the last time I cried.00:09:50
There is a former National hotel in Chisinau..This tall building close to the airport..00:09:59
As far as I know, in 2022 this building was painted in Ukrainian colors.00:10:06
Later it was painted into the ribbon of Saint George colors..00:10:10
And then it was painted into neutral colors. Russian reporter Ilya Azar wrote an article about Moldova two years ago..00:10:18
He wrote:'This hotel looks like an abandoned battlefield where nobody won'00:10:23
Is it true that there is no common opinion on the war in Moldova?00:10:30
The people of Moldova have helped the Ukrainian refugees.00:10:41
Almost a million refugees have entered Moldova.00:10:46
There are 2.6 million people in our country and a million refugees was a lot for us.00:10:53
Some of them stayed for a few days and some of them stayed for a few months.00:10:59
A hundred thousand Ukrainians are still here in Moldova.00:11:04
Our people never had any problems with them. We greeted refugees with open hearts and open doors.00:11:13
Our government did not have the opportunity to help everyone.00:11:25
In the first months of the war we worked a lot to help the Ukrainian refugees.00:11:33
The people of Moldova gave shelter to random refugees.00:11:47
Everyone here in Moldova supports these refugees.00:11:58
We all agree on this. We are united.00:12:06
This is true, as far as I know. Ilya Azar wrote that 90% of the refugees stayed at people's homes..00:12:18
They stayed at people's homes.00:12:19
I have another question. My question is who do they support in this war?00:12:29
Do you mean that pro-Russian Moldavians..00:12:32
Moldavians are peaceful people. The vast majority of our population does not support this war.00:12:42
Well, some people believe the Kremlin propaganda..00:12:54
Moldova is a peaceful country. We do not support this war. We are protecting peace in our country.00:13:04
I have heard that Ukraine offered Moldova to attack Transnistria.00:13:20
We have never heard such official statements. Some people said this to the media..00:13:32
However, they have never officially talked to us about it.00:13:37
What about unofficially?00:13:38
Ukrainian authorities have never reached out to us about it.00:13:43
We can only solve this problem peacefully.00:13:53
How would you do it? What if Ukraine offers you to attack the peacemakers in Transnistria?00:14:03
We will not agree to use the military means.00:14:07
We would only accept a peaceful solution.00:14:10
What is going on with the ammunition depot at Kobasna?00:14:16
There is a town in Transnistria where loads of Soviet ammunition is still stored.00:14:24
Lately we have been reading the rumors about Ukraine trying to capture this depot, taking into account the lack of ammunition that they are facing.00:14:35
What do you know about this depot?00:14:39
This is a Soviet depot. The Moldavian officials have not visited the depot since it was captured by the separatists.00:14:54
We can only guess. OSCE visited this depot years ago.00:15:04
Since I became the President I have been trying to convince Russia to get rid of all the ammunition in this depot.00:15:20
Russian Federation was open to this conversation but we have not agreed to anything yet. This is, obviously, a problem.00:15:29
Ukraine is not getting the access to the ammunition.00:15:39
Ukraine respects the territorial integrity of Moldova. Ukraine would not do that.00:15:45
The Minister of Foreign Affairs Mihail Popsoi said:'Real Madrid invests in their defense more than Moldova'00:15:56
Four Real Madrid defensemen cost about 120 million Euro.00:16:04
How much does Moldova spend on military?00:16:08
Well, we are spending around 0.5% of our GDP on defense.00:16:19
I guess, this would be the lowest percentage in Europe spent on defense.00:16:24
We have increased our military spendings but there is still a lot of work to do.00:16:32
Kremlin keeps saying that Moldova is a neutral country which should have no military.00:16:44
This is wrong. Neutral countries are investing in their defense to protect their people.00:16:57
We have increased our military spendings..00:17:02
[Military spendings in Moldova in 2023: 90 million Euro]00:17:04
We are also receiving support from our partners. A lot of work still needs to be done here.00:17:09
This is different from Russia. You are spending almost 6%..I'm sorry..00:17:18
You are free to tell me 'you'. I am Russian.00:17:21
Russia is spending almost 6% of their GDP on military.00:17:24
We are only spending 0.5%.00:17:26
We have increased our military spendings because of the war.00:17:35
Because of Russian aggression.00:17:37
This is a horrible question but I have to ask it..
If Russia invades Moldova, would Moldova fight back?00:17:47
We would do our best to avoid this situation. We wish to join EU to protect the safety of our country.00:18:02
EU is a peaceful project. According to the Constitution of Moldova we must protect peace and safety of our people.00:18:18
We have an army and we have military spendings to protect ourselves.00:18:24
We really hope that this war comes to an end soon.00:18:32
We would like to invest money in the economy instead of military.00:18:48
So the answer is yes? or no?00:18:50
We will protect our country.00:19:00
What is the biggest inconvenience of being a president?00:19:07
People are looking at me 24/7.00:19:14
I really like hiking. Even when I'm hiking people are looking at me.00:19:30
How I look, how I walk..Sometimes I want to be alone..00:19:35
You feel uncomfortable.00:19:36
I do. I got used to it but I don't like it.00:19:42
When I am abroad I can go for a walk for a couple of hours. Nobody would recognize me abroad.00:19:57
This feels better than going for a walk in Moldova.00:20:02
When I made the decision to become the President I knew this.00:20:21
Some people like to be in the spotlight. I would like to have a little more privacy.00:20:33
I would like to spend more time in privacy.00:20:37
So if you are on a work trip to Paris or Brussels you take a couple of hours off to walk around the city.00:20:43
I don't usually have a few spare hours..Sometimes I would go to a restaurant..00:20:53
Would you have your bodyguards with you?00:20:54
According to the law, I should have bodyguards around me.00:20:59
Have you ever had a small talk with anyone when people would ask you what do you do for a living?00:21:09
And you would tell them that you are a president.00:21:11
I have..00:21:13
Starbucks? Some other places?00:21:18
Well, I went to a restaurant and someone told the waiter that I was a president.00:21:30
People would ask me where my bodyguards were.00:21:49
This place is called Condrita. It is a beautiful forest.00:21:52
Former presidents lived here. There is a house that was built in 1960s.00:22:02
Some of our former presidents stayed here.00:22:10
You don't live here, do you?00:22:12
I don't. I live in my two bedroom apartment that I bought in 2003.00:22:17
Why don't you live here?00:22:19
This would cause more government expenses.00:22:26
I don't need a house. I have an apartment where I lived before I was elected.00:22:34
Are you trying to save more money or do you actually prefer your apartment..00:22:39
I am trying to save government money. I live in Chisinau, which is closer to my office.00:22:46
I don't want to spend more time on my way to work.00:22:47
I feel like it is right to stay at my apartment.00:22:51
Before running for presidency in 2020 you said you would use this residence to help the poor.00:23:00
Some of your colleagues suggested to open a shelter for domestic abuse victims..00:23:09
We gave shelter to Ukrainian refugees.00:23:12
They stayed here for some time..00:23:13
A lot of refugees stayed here. Then we were thinking about creating a culture center.00:23:22
This would require a lot of money. We decided to postpone this project because we have more important things to spend money on currently.00:23:31
Sometimes I am inviting students from all over the country to hike here.00:23:44
We go for a walk around the forest. We are planning to plant more trees.00:23:55
I am promoting the trees planting project.00:23:59
We don't have a lot of forests here in Moldova.00:24:06
We are talking other stuff, too.00:24:08
European Integration, too.00:24:10
You're taking to kids about the integration?00:24:11
Of course. They would mainly benefit from the integration.00:24:17
Before the elections you said you would also get rid of the fence of the President's Office.00:24:31
We're still trying..00:24:33
Four years later the fence is still there.00:24:36
We opened the gates..Anyone can enter the territory..00:24:44
We found out that getting rid of the fence would cost us more than just opening the access to public.00:25:00
We're open to public. I was talking about being open and we are doing it now.00:25:15
We are not hiding behind this fence. You can take a walk around the office and sometimes people are allowed to come in.00:25:26
We are having Christmas events every year..00:25:41
Students are also allowed to come into the office.00:25:50
Moldova was announced independent in this building.00:25:59
Anyone is allowed to see the hall.00:26:03
It makes sense. But why would you promise to get rid of the fence if you can't do it?00:26:13
We promised to make the office open to the public. And we did it.00:26:24
The fence does not matter anymore.00:26:31
Do you still live in your..00:26:33
Yes, I live in my apartment.00:26:35
You did an interview in this apartment before the elections in 2016.00:26:41
I did.00:26:44
Is this an apartment building?00:26:46
It is. So you have neighbors above you and under you.00:26:48
I do.00:26:49
So they might even flood you. Or you might flood them.00:26:54
Well, this happened to me once..It happens to everyone.00:26:57
They flooded you?00:26:58
When you were a president?00:27:00
Yes, I was a president. It is fine.00:27:03
Who's making your breakfast?00:27:05
I am making my breakfast. My mom makes my lunch and brings it to the office.00:27:11
Do you buy your groceries?00:27:13
Sometimes I do. Sometimes my mom buys groceries.00:27:16
Are your neighbors okay with your bodyguards?00:27:23
I don't think that anything has changed for them.00:27:29
There is a person at the entrance now..00:27:33
He's keeping..00:27:35
The whole entrance safe..00:27:36
Yes. I think it's good for them. They can also feel safe.00:27:41
I can't speak for everyone. I hope I'm not causing any inconvenience for my neighbors.00:27:52
I like my neighbors. We are all in a good relationship.00:27:57
Do you have a cellphone?00:27:58
Of course, I do.00:27:59
Do you have a Telegram account?00:28:01
I don't. I have accounts in other social media.00:28:06
Are you posting pictures on Instagram?00:28:09
Sometimes I am, sometimes my colleagues help me.00:28:13
How do leaders keep in touch? Are you always using government communications?00:28:21
Not always. There are different channels of communication. I am not going to name them.00:28:26
I can contact a lot of leaders directly.00:28:30
We are texting each other.00:28:33
When does your working day end?00:28:34
It depends..00:28:37
Let's assume this is your regular working day at Chisinau.00:28:41
At 8 p.m.00:28:44
What do you do when you come home?00:28:46
I read my emails. I don't have enough time to read them during the day.00:28:53
I'm reading my emails in the evening.00:28:58
Do you have any spare time to watch YouTube?00:29:05
Can you watch some videos at work?00:29:10
I can't. I am reading the news..My colleagues send me the news.00:29:22
I can only watch some videos in the evening.00:29:29
Do you get a news digest? Or are you monitoring the reports on your own?00:29:35
Yes, I do get a news report. I am also reading the news from other sources.00:29:44
Is there anything that you do to overcome stress?00:29:47
Hiking. This helps me the most.00:29:52
Hiking helps me fight stress. Especially, hiking in the mountains.00:29:58
When I have to..00:30:02
Overcome.00:30:04
Yes. I like to hike. 15-20 kilometers a day helps a lot.00:30:12
Do you hike close to your office? Or do you hike outside the city?00:30:17
Sometimes I hike here. There is a 12 kilometer route here. I can hike in the morning..00:30:25
There are longer routes outside the city.00:30:31
Are you hiking with your headphones on?00:30:33
I'm not wearing my headphones when I'm hiking..Just listen..00:30:39
I like this soundtrack.00:30:40
It's a great soundtrack. I try no to get distracted. I listen to the sounds of nature and relax.00:30:49
Do you have any favorite bands?00:30:51
I like Coldplay.00:30:57
I would like to see them live.00:31:00
You haven't seen them live? I haven't.00:31:02
They toured around Europe last summer.00:31:04
I was too busy, unfortunately.00:31:07
I hope to see them some day.00:31:12
Am I the first Russian reporter that you have talked to since the war began?00:31:18
I guess so.00:31:19
Why?00:31:21
Well, it is what it is..00:31:23
Some of my colleagues in Moldova would think that you chose to reach out to Russian-speaking voters before the elections.00:31:35
What would you respond?00:31:38
I did an interview in Russian last week.00:31:43
We have Russian-speaking reporters here in Moldova.00:31:49
I can speak Russian, Romanian, or English.00:31:57
Let's talk about your presidential term, these 3.5 years.00:32:02
As far as I know, you made three promises: European integration, judicial reform, and fighting corruption.00:32:13
European integration is clearly happening..00:32:24
What can you say about two remaining promises?00:32:27
Well, I would say that this is one promise. We cannot fight corruption unless we have an effective judicial system.00:32:38
We are working on building incorruptible institutions that would fight corruption.00:32:51
However, we have to first clean up our judicial system.00:32:59
When we came to power we replaced the intruders..00:33:09
There were huge corruption scandals in our country. I never wanted to become a politician..00:33:17
But when I found out that almost all of our politicians were corrupt..00:33:34
I realized that they were compromising democracy.00:33:40
Everyone believed that politics was full of dirty money..00:33:54
Politics turned into government corruption.00:33:59
We decided to start our own party which would not be corrupt.00:34:17
Our party would be transparently and legally financed.00:34:24
Our fight began in 2015. Until 2020 we were fighting these corrupt politicians.00:34:37
When we won the elections, they left the country.00:34:47
You are talking about Vladimir Plahotniuc and Ilan Shor, your biggest opponents.00:34:51
Yes, and there are others, too. They all left the country.00:34:56
We started a judicial reform because I did not have a right to judge anyone.00:35:10
Plahotniuc and Shor had corrupt judges and even corrupt anti-corruption organizations.00:35:23
So we had to clean this mess up. We needed to get rid of all the corrupt people before we could see any results.00:35:36
We are still doing it. It is taking more time than we expected.00:35:49
They are resisting. They want to stay and make more money from making certain decisions.00:35:55
Currently we are being assessed for our judicial system integrity.00:36:08
We are being assessed by former prosecutors and former judges from European countries.00:36:19
Moldavian non-governmental organizations are also taking part in this assessment.00:36:26
They are assessing our judges and prosecutors based on their integrity.00:36:35
We got rid of some of them but I think we need another year to finish this cleanup.00:36:44
Another year?00:36:46
I hope so.00:36:49
I don't live in Moldova and I am not in the context..00:36:54
My claims are based on some trustworthy sources.00:36:57
I read an article by Carnegie, whom we cannot suspect in working for Russia..00:37:04
They wrote: 'judicial reform turned out to be clumsy and ended up in new scandals'00:37:10
'Moldavian authorities looked incompetent. They failed to fight corruption. There are no more fraud scandals, however, people who built this corrupt system and even ruled out unfair sentences were not fired'00:37:29
What can you say about this claim?00:37:32
Well, the court ruled out that Shor had to return the Chisinau airport to the state.00:37:52
The concession was proven to be a corruption scheme.00:38:00
We have court decision on two biggest frauds. The rest are still being investigated.00:38:09
These people are all trying to resist the reform. They can't prove their integrity.00:38:30
They don't want to fight corruption. They are playing for time, they are taking more bribes.00:38:55
This is why the reform is taking more than we expected. We have to get rid of these people before we see any results.00:39:18
I don't think that any country has ever had a judicial reform in less than three years.00:39:27
What about Saakashvili's Georgia?00:39:29
I don't think it took them three years.00:39:33
European Union together with the Venice Commission are being very strict in terms of these reforms.00:39:45
We have to stick to the laws to build effective organizations.00:39:53
This reform is very important for us.00:39:59
We have not reached the results that we wished yet.00:40:07
According to international ratings, Moldova has made a big progress.00:40:18
Moldova has made a big progress in democracy ratings.00:40:28
Moldova now holds the 28th place in the freedom of speech rating.00:40:40
We are even higher than some European countries. We managed to achieve this in two years.00:40:44
We will talk about the freedom of speech a little later.00:40:46
Last year European Commission published a report on Moldova.00:40:55
Here is a quote from their report which was published in Carnegie:00:40:57
'There was no significant progress in the prosecution of high-profile corruption cases and long-standing criminal cases.'00:41:03
'Low clearance rates and the large backlog of cases negatively affect the judicial system's efficiency.'00:41:11
I agree. This is why we are having this reform.00:41:16
Judges and prosecutors are trying to resist.00:41:23
European Commission stated that the results of the reform are good.00:41:27
Had not they been satisfied, Moldova would not receive a positive decision from the European Council.00:41:47
We are not seeing the results yet, I agree. People of Moldova are waiting for the results of the reform.00:42:02
First we need to clean up the system. And then fair judges would provide the results of the reform.00:42:09
As long as some of them are trying to help the corrupt system and benefit from it..We are not going to succeed.00:42:27
This is a very common claim that people make about you and your team.00:42:33
Do you disagree about failing the judicial reform and fighting corruption?00:42:41
I agree that it is taking us more time than we wished.00:42:49
However, the reform is happening. There is no other way to build a democratic state. This is very important.00:43:00
We will see the results once the system is clear of corrupt people.00:43:08
I wish it all happened sooner.00:43:12
You have a Romanian passport, don't you?00:43:14
I do.00:43:16
When did you get it?00:43:17
A long time ago. I guess, thirteen or fifteen years ago.00:43:25
Why did you get it?00:43:28
A million people in Moldova are also citizens of Romania.00:43:33
Which also means that we are Europeans.00:43:36
There is a million of Europeans here in Moldova.00:43:42
This would make our way to Europe much shorter.00:43:47
Did you get this passport to travel around Europe?00:43:51
We still had visas back then.00:43:54
Or did you get it just in case?00:43:58
My grandparents were Romanian.00:44:05
It was important for me to get a Romanian passport.00:44:13
In terms of your identity?00:44:15
Yes.00:44:16
How many people in Moldova support the concept of unification with Romania?00:44:22
Some people think that this is a right path..00:44:28
What do the sociologists say?00:44:29
About 40%..00:44:36
40%?00:44:37
Or 36%..I can't give you the exact number..00:44:44
The majority of our population does not support the unification.00:44:47
The majority supports Moldova joining EU.00:44:55
We are currently working on this.00:44:58
Why do people want to join Romania?00:45:02
Do they want to join NATO?00:45:04
For historical reasons. Some people want to join EU and have higher standards of living.00:45:11
There are different reasons behind this concept.00:45:18
Would you like to be united with Romania?00:45:22
I think that the best path for Moldova is to become a member of EU.00:45:32
We would have no borders with Romania and other European countries.00:45:37
We will meet Romania in EU.00:45:41
Moldova is still on its way to EU. What if there was a referendum to join Romania? Would you vote for it?00:45:54
We are having a referendum on European integration. And I will vote for it.00:46:00
This is what I promised. I will do what I promised.00:46:03
The Governor of the National Bank of Moldova is a Romanian citizen and former Minister of Public Finance of Romania Anca Drago.00:46:12
Dragu.00:46:14
I am sorry.00:46:16
Why did she get appointed?00:46:18
We needed a good specialist..00:46:23
Didn't you have such specialists in Moldova?00:46:24
Well, nobody was willing to accept this position.00:46:32
Other countries can also invite specialists from abroad.00:46:41
We care a lot about monetary policies. We used to have problems when the Central Bank did not play its role in preventing frauds.00:47:02
Central Bank policy is very important to us. We should have the best specialists and honest people there.00:47:15
We are open to specialists from all over the world.00:47:23
Would you invite a specialist from Russia?00:47:27
If this person matches all the criteria..We are open to all specialists willing to work for this country.00:47:44
Some members of B-2 band asked for Moldavian citizenship.00:47:48
Are they getting their passports?00:47:51
I have not received their applications yet. If all the documents are fine, they will get their passports.00:47:55
They don't have any Moldavian blood. Why are they getting the passports?00:47:59
The law allows us to grant citizenship to people regardless of their blood.00:48:16
If their documents are fine, then..00:48:24
What is the criteria? Would you do this for your country's image?00:48:32
I would. If these people are talented and we respect them..00:48:41
We respect them and I hope that they would get their citizenship.00:48:51
What would they have to do in return?00:48:53
Nothing. They would have to respect our country's interests.00:48:57
They will not have to live here.00:48:58
No.00:48:59
They would have to pay taxes only if they live here..00:49:03
Yes. If they live here or run a business here.00:49:12
Do you realize that this case might attract many Russian refugees?00:49:19
We will assess all of the cases individually.00:49:21
You are opening the gates..00:49:23
You asked me about the Central Bank. We are not only granting citizenship to Romanians.00:49:36
Is there censorship in Moldova?00:49:39
I have just told you that according to independent assessment Moldova has improved to 28th place in freedom of speech.00:49:59
Let's leave the ratings aside. In the last two years tens of media were banned in Moldova.00:50:07
Most of these media were banned without a court decision.00:50:11
Isn't this censorship?00:50:13
This is not censorship. These were not media.. They were spreading misinformation.00:50:20
I think that ratings are objective. They assessed our measures in terms of freedom of speech..00:50:37
They gave us a fair assessment. 00:50:43
These media broke the law. We had to ban them.00:50:56
Most of these media owned by Ilan Shor. People not familiar with the situation can watch his interview at Alexey Venediktov.00:51:13
This interview explains a lot.00:51:18
He is a pro-Russian oligarch representing a country who attacked your neighbor.00:51:25
I get it.00:51:27
He works to destabilize the situation in our country.00:51:30
I'm reading the articles by local reporters. They dislike Shor as much as you do.00:51:40
'The decision of the Commission violates the freedom of opinion', says an expert of Constitutional Law.00:51:51
'These TV-channels were criticizing the government and this is common for a democracy'00:51:56
A former Human Rights Court judge Stanislav Pavlovsky said that the decision of the Commission contradicts the European Convention of Human Rights.00:52:08
Some of my colleagues dislike Shor just like you do and they said that all these media were banned for no reason.00:52:21
What can you reply?00:52:22
Do you agree that everyone must obey the law?00:52:25
Their funding must be transparent. 00:52:38
Our laws are based on international standards.00:52:41
Everyone must obey the law.00:52:44
They can't use illegal money to fund these media..00:52:54
Is there any proof that this money is illegal?00:52:56
Is it true that these channels were banned without a court decision?00:52:59
They were banned by a commission that came to this conclusion.00:53:11
Audio-visual Council came to this conclusion..00:53:16
TV broadcasting Council?00:53:18
I am coming from a country where the laws violate the freedom of speech.00:53:29
If you ask Putin why he introduced foreign agents and violated their rights..00:53:41
He would tell you to obey the law.00:53:47
Do you think that this is similar to illegal money?00:53:53
If you think that these channels were banned for criticizing the government..00:54:03
I would suggest you to turn on TV..You would see a lot of channels criticizing me.00:54:18
They are allowed to criticize you.00:54:20
This has nothing to do with their views.00:54:29
You can talk to independent TV channels from all over the country.00:54:40
There are channels that are trying to destabilize the situation.00:54:48
Two days ago they tried to import a million dollars into our country.00:54:56
They would fund their propaganda.00:55:00
I have seen this video from the airport.00:55:02
This is illegal. This is happening to destabilize the country. This has nothing to do with democracy. This is corruption.00:55:10
Everyone must obey the law.00:55:21
Look..You told me that a lot of channels criticize you.00:55:26
Can you name any channel that criticizes you a lot?00:55:34
I can.00:55:35
Can you name at least one?00:55:36
All of them.00:55:37
All..Yes.00:55:42
Moldavian reporters might disagree.00:55:46
I can show you the videos from last two weeks where they criticized me and the government.00:55:59
Are there any TV channels?00:56:01
TV-channels, too. Of course.00:56:03
Okay.00:56:05
I will ask your assistants to send me these channels.00:56:11
[The list of these channels is in the description below]00:56:14
They criticize me every day and this is okay.00:56:15
Sometimes they are fair, sometimes not..But it is okay.00:56:19
This is not the problem. It is okay to criticize. It is not okay to use illegal money that they stole from our people.00:56:34
This March you were talking to the reporters and a reporter from Channel 5, owned by Shor, asked you a question.00:56:46
You had an emotional interaction and soon this channel got banned.00:56:54
No. This is not true.00:56:57
I didn't say that you banned it. I'm just saying what happened.00:57:02
A lot of reporters have asked me such questions and their media never got banned.00:57:13
I asked this reporter if she knew who was paying her salary.00:57:23
The channel replied..00:57:27
Every reporter should know where his salary is coming from. You know where your salary comes from, don't you?00:57:33
I do.00:57:34
As a reporter you must feel comfortable about your source of income.00:57:44
She did not know where her salary was coming from. She is not a real reporter.00:57:53
The channel replied that they were making money from the advertisement.00:57:59
This is not true.00:58:00
She replied that she did not know where her salary was coming from.00:58:05
I saw that.00:58:07
I have to tell you that this happens.00:58:10
She agreed to work for this company. And she should have asked where her salary would come from.00:58:20
As a reporter she represents someone.00:58:24
She would not like to find out that her salary was stolen from her parents and the people of Moldova.00:58:33
My colleagues who don't support Shor told me that his channels got banned due to censorship.00:58:55
Did they lie?00:58:58
I disagree with them. They might have this opinion but I disagree.00:59:03
Ask them to show you what the media say about the government.00:59:11
They would see that all the media are allowed to criticize me.00:59:22
I asked them about it..00:59:25
We can go to any website and see a lot of critics there. They criticize ministers, the Prime Minister, the President..00:59:43
International assessments are unbiased. 00:59:55
These corrupt oligarchs tried to gain monopoly in the media.01:00:07
Ask you colleagues what these oligarchs did to freedom of speech.01:00:20
Ask them whether we have freedom of speech now or not.01:00:29
I talked to them about it. They told me that independent media in Moldova are mostly funded by Western grants.01:00:51
First of all, when they see Shors media getting banned they become more cautious.01:01:05
They know that every media can get banned by the commission.01:01:11
They also know that Maia Sandu is supported by the West. Their media is also supported by the West.01:01:22
If they criticize Sandu too much they might lose their source of income.01:01:35
I recommend you to go to any website and search Maia Sandu.01:01:45
You would find a lot of negativity about me.01:01:49
We are talking about it for too long. You must see it.01:02:01
They are allowed to criticize me.01:02:03
So there is no censorship in Moldova.01:02:04
No.01:02:05
We have a problem with media breaking the law and trying to destabilize our country.01:02:15
They are creating risks for our security.01:02:17
A lot of Russian media are also banned in Moldova.01:02:21
Mostly official Russian media. Am I right?01:02:26
Yes. This decision was based on European standards.01:02:35
Europe implemented sanctions on these channels.01:02:42
We are copying their decision.01:02:48
How do you feel about this decision?01:02:51
Spreading misinformation is bad. Propaganda uses misinformation to harm our country.01:03:02
They want to harm our democracy.01:03:08
We might look for more effective ways to fight propaganda..01:03:17
But I feel like this is a good decision for us.01:03:26
You can't have partial censorship. This means that there is censorship.01:03:35
Can you tell me how much money the Kremlin spends on propaganda?01:03:38
Billions.01:03:41
How can we fight them? What can our small country do against them?01:03:51
I don't have an answer. And this is why I wouldn't like to be a politician.01:04:01
I don't want to make such decisions. I don't want to pick from two bad choices.01:04:08
If I don't do anything, this rich country would harm my small country their propaganda.01:04:21
But can I ban them? This is censorship. This chokes the democratic values.01:04:31
Values, which you support.01:04:34
If you turn on TV you will find a lot of Russian-speaking channels.01:04:41
You can watch all these channels.01:04:45
Russian pro-war propaganda says that this war is good.01:04:58
They say that Russia is doing something good in Ukraine.01:05:00
I don't think that banning them is censorship.01:05:03
I think that such propaganda is bad for our democracy and our peaceful future.01:05:09
Doesn't it violate democratic values?01:05:11
I agree that Russian propaganda is bad..01:05:15
We have to defend the democracy.01:05:20
I agree that there is no right decision here.01:05:28
We can't ignore Russian propaganda for the sake of freedom of speech.01:05:34
You know that Russia invests billions into this propaganda.01:05:39
How can we fight them?01:05:40
Can one protect democracy with undemocratic actions?01:05:43
We are building a democracy. Reporters Without Borders confirmed our progress.01:06:03
I recommend you to read their report.01:06:08
We will fight for the freedom of speech but we need to preserve our democracy first.01:06:17
We are trying to follow more experienced democracies.01:06:29
Your official salary is about 850 Euro.01:06:34
Less than a thousand Euro.01:06:36
According to your income statement you almost ran out of your savings.01:06:41
Can you live on your salary?01:06:43
I can. A lot of Moldavians are making less than a thousand Euro.01:06:52
We would like to be making more money. This is our job.01:06:57
We want to build a stronger economy.01:07:02
We will have to work a little harder.01:07:04
What if you need to buy a new computer? An iMac that costs a couple of thousands Euro.01:07:13
Would you save for a computer?01:07:14
I already have a computer. I am not saving on a new one.01:07:23
I can live on this salary just like many other Moldavians.01:07:29
I have to work harder to build a better economy for our people.01:07:35
In the World Bank you were making ten thousand Euro a month.01:07:38
I had a huge salary.01:07:39
Before taxes or after taxes?01:07:43
After taxes.01:07:45
When we founded the party I did not have a salary.01:07:57
You would fund the party from your savings.01:08:00
The party did not have enough money to pay me a salary.01:08:04
We were paying to only one employee. The rest of us worked for free.01:08:15
My savings helped me survive.01:08:21
Why is Moldova quite a poor country?01:08:25
There are few reasons and corruption is one of them.01:08:32
We failed to create a state without corruption. We had corrupt leaders.01:08:46
Corruption is a huge problem for any democracy.01:08:55
Corrupt people are trying to come to power and then get rid of democracy.01:09:04
We saw it when they seized all the power.01:09:10
This is why we need to solve this problem. We need to get rid of corruption.01:09:21
We need to preserve our democracy and keep corrupt gangs away from power.01:09:30
A lot of people have left our country. This is also a problem.01:09:37
Young people are leaving. These people could have boosted our economy.01:09:47
Is it true that 88 thousand people under 45 have left Moldova in the last four years?01:09:58
I don't have the exact numbers..In the last twenty years almost a million people have left the country.01:10:09
This is a lot.01:10:12
Some of them came back but because of the war people are not willing to come back.01:10:25
They don't feel safe here.01:10:30
We have to work more to convince young Moldavians not to leave.01:10:41
European integration would help us to make them come back.01:10:52
I hope that they would see a brighter future in our country.01:11:00
But first we have to finish our reform and also work on our education system and healthcare.01:11:08
Everyone wants to live a comfortable life.01:11:11
Correct me if I'm wrong, in 2022 Moldova faced a 5% decrease in GDP.01:11:18
6%.01:11:19
In 2023 GDP increased by 0.7%.01:11:23
In 2021 we had a 14% increase in GDP.01:11:31
We expected a 10% increase in 2022. But then the war happened and we faced a decline.01:11:39
Your critics like to bring up two other countries that faced a lot of refugees in 2022: Georgia, with 10.1% increase in GDP, and Armenia, with 12.6% increase.01:12:04
Why did they face an economic growth while Moldova had a decline?01:12:09
I can't compare them to us. We are in different conditions.01:12:17
We are located next to Ukraine. An increase in gas prices had a big impact on us.01:12:37
We used to buy goods and materials from Ukraine and now we had to look for other partners.01:12:46
We had to look for other suppliers of materials. The war was a heavier burden for us than for them.01:12:57
Russian and Ukrainian refugees brought millions of Euro to Georgia and Armenia.01:13:11
We faced Ukrainian refugees..They did not bring any money with them.01:13:20
We had to support them.01:13:25
We need to finish our judicial reform to build a stronger economy..01:13:29
As far as I know, some Ukrainians were willing to relocate their businesses to Moldova. Did you create favorable conditions for them?01:13:36
We are trying to create favorable conditions for everyone. We are investing in infrastructure.01:13:45
We are fighting bureaucracy.01:13:53
More than a half of government services are digital.01:14:04
We are working on this issue but we cannot attract enough investors because of the war.01:14:20
How would you assess the level of political competition in Moldova in 2024?01:14:26
We have high competition. We have a plenty of political parties. 01:14:35
Parties are easy to start. When we created our party we faced a lot of problems.01:14:43
When we came to power we changed the laws and now a couple of activists can start their own party.01:15:01
Everyone must follow the law, especially regarding financing of the parties.01:15:12
Corruption is a big problem in Moldova because political parties broke this law and got funded with illegal money.01:15:32
Oligarchs invested in politics..01:15:40
How does this law define illegal money?01:15:42
Legal money should be declared. 01:15:49
Before we started our party regular people never funded other parties.01:16:00
All the parties were funded by rich people and some of them stole their money from our country.01:16:10
They would invest in politics to get more power.01:16:25
When we were creating our party I asked everyone to help us.01:16:40
At first, people were very hesitant about making donations to a politician.01:16:52
They did not know how this process typically worked.01:16:55
We did not have a lot of supporters in the beginning.01:17:04
Plahotniuc frightened them all.01:17:08
What about now?01:17:10
Retired people would come to us and donate..01:17:18
What about foreigners? Can Roman Abramovich donate?01:17:23
There is a hundred Euro limit on donations from abroad.01:17:29
We have a large diaspora all over the world which takes part in the elections.01:17:37
We limited their donations to a hundred Euro to reduce foreign influence.01:17:47
When we talk about democracy we should think about funding political parties first.01:17:57
I was surprised by some aspects of political competition in Moldova.01:18:02
Your opponent Igor Dodon was arrested on May 24, 2022. His house got searched early in the morning, he got accused of four offenses.01:18:14
May 24 is your birthday. It reminded me of something that happened in my country.01:18:24
What do you think about Dodon getting arrested on your birthday?01:18:29
You have to ask the Prosecutor's Office. I was in Harvard when I read the news.01:18:41
I was surprised, too.01:18:51
We haven't read any news about this case since..This was the Prosecutor's Office job.01:19:02
There is still no progress and we have to ask them..01:19:09
What they were trying to do?01:19:15
Is this a coincidence or did anyone want to give you a birthday present?01:19:20
I don't know about this. This looks very bad.01:19:27
This does not look professional for law enforcers.01:19:38
This does not look good in terms of credibility.01:19:45
Another situation took place in December 2021. There were mayoral elections Balti, the second largest city in Moldova..01:19:52
Marina Tauber wins round one by a wide margin.01:19:57
Tauber is a member of Shor's team. And then she gets withdrawn from the elections for not declaring catering for her volunteers.01:20:11
This amount is estimated at few thousands Euro.01:20:17
She gets withdrawn before the second round of elections. She would have definitely won the elections after getting 47.93% in the first round.01:20:25
She bought all of the votes. This is not democracy.01:20:33
They just came back from Moscow. They were trying to bring a million dollars to Moldova.01:20:44
This is what they are trying to do everyday. This is not democracy.01:20:53
We can't let them spread corruption.01:21:02
This is what the did in the past. They want to get back to power.01:21:09
They can't win without corruption.01:21:14
They can't bring anything to the table. They can't get us to EU.01:21:23
They are buying their votes..01:21:29
What do you mean by buying votes?01:21:31
Are they paying the voters or are they paying the Election Commission?01:21:33
They are buying the voters.01:21:36
They are paying people to vote for them. How much does a vote cost?01:21:39
It depends. They would pay up to 50 or 100 Euro.01:21:44
50 Euro to vote for Shor's assistant.01:21:47
They are paying the poor.01:21:53
Who proved this?01:21:55
Everyone proved that.01:21:58
I'm talking about the mayoral elections. I know about Shor's reputation.01:22:04
Who proved that Tauber broke the law? Was there a court?01:22:08
Yes, of course.01:22:11
The court case happened before round two..01:22:13
Yes, it happened before round two. The police collected evidence and the Election Commission banned her from the elections after the court decision.01:22:23
As far as I know, they blamed her for not declaring catering for her volunteers.01:22:30
All kinds of stuff..There is another case going on in Gagauzia..01:22:38
These candidates did not declare their income and they were buying votes..01:22:45
Yevghenia Gutsul won the elections.01:22:47
Yes. I went to the Prosecutor's Office yesterday..01:22:53
Yevghenia Gutsul is a woman with no record in politics who won the elections in Gagauzia.01:23:00
She was representing Shor in her campaign. She became the president, I mean, the governor of Gagauzia..01:23:12
And now you must appoint her in the government. You haven't done this yet.01:23:19
I have not. You are asking me about the elections..01:23:31
Look at the results and you would see that many different parties took part in the elections and there are many winners from various parties.01:23:39
People who obeyed the law managed to win the elections.01:23:55
This political party..It is not a party but a gang.01:24:03
They started a few different parties. Our democracy should be judged by what is going on in the whole country.01:24:16
Not based on some cases where they were buying votes.01:24:26
Why don't you appoint her? You don't believe that she won the elections?01:24:30
She represents a corrupt gang. She does not represent the people of Gagauzia.01:24:42
I don't think that she deserves..This is a risk for our national security.01:24:56
This is your opinion. According to the law, she won at fair elections.01:25:06
I don't agree with you that these were fair elections.01:25:11
I said this to the prosecutor.01:25:13
You are waiting for the investigation to be over.01:25:16
I am.01:25:17
Aren't you breaking the law?01:25:18
We will see what the Constitutional Court would say.01:25:24
Aren't you breaking the law by not appointing her?01:25:29
I think I am not breaking the law.01:25:31
If we are being geeky..If every leader behaves this way.. 01:25:42
People would no longer obey the laws.01:25:46
I cannot appoint a person representing a gang.01:25:52
So you are choosing to break the law.01:25:58
I am not breaking the law.01:26:00
Everyone can break the law then. Okay.01:26:04
They can't. There would be violence in the streets.01:26:07
The law does not tell me how fast to appoint her.
We will see what the court says.01:26:17
Is it true that you have never met Vladimir Putin during your term?01:26:22
It is.01:26:23
Why?01:26:24
There was nothing to talk about.01:26:30
Wait a minute. Even before the war?01:26:31
We had some conversations but we have never met in person.01:26:44
Did you have a phone call?01:26:47
I have never talked to him. Our governments talked to each other..01:26:55
Who didn't want to meet? You or him?01:26:59
It wasn't in the plans.01:27:01
Russia and Moldova have always been close partners..01:27:07
Our governments were working on all the issues.01:27:15
What do you think about Putin as a politician?01:27:17
We know that he started this war in Ukraine.01:27:22
He can end this war but, unfortunately, he doesn't want to do it.01:27:28
Why?01:27:29
I don't know.01:27:31
Do you think he has any plans for Moldova?01:27:33
I can't tell you..We don't know that.01:27:48
We have seen Russian authorities claiming that Moldova does not exist.01:27:55
These officials disrespect the people of Moldova.01:28:09
How do you feel about this?01:28:10
We are here to protect our people. We want to have good relationships with everyone.01:28:23
However, we don't want to be friends with people who start wars and disrespect us.01:28:39
I am not an expert in politics..You said you didn't have any reasons to meet Putin..01:28:44
However, you met Dmitry Kozak, deputy head of the Putin's Office.01:28:47
He paid a visit to Moldova and I met him.01:28:49
Isn't this more effective to meet another leader?01:28:56
Kozak paid a visit and I talked to him about all the issues that we had.01:29:06
You would have to come to Russia to meet Putin.01:29:08
We haven't talked about that.01:29:12
There was a gas crisis in Moldova in 2022 when the prices increased tenfold.01:29:18
Almost tenfold.01:29:19
Sevenfold. It is still a lot.01:29:24
Why did this crisis happen?01:29:25
Gas prices increased all over Europe, you might remember this.01:29:34
At the same time, after our deal with Gazprom expired we had no other suppliers of gas.01:29:46
In the last thirty years our governments failed to find alternative suppliers of gas and electricity.01:29:59
Gazprom refused to make another deal with us. They wanted us to accept a 700 million dollar debt.01:30:16
Moldovagas owned them this amount. Gazprom is a majority owner of this company.01:30:28
They wanted us to pay the debt for this company. We told them we needed time to check what happened there.01:30:43
We did not know about where the debt came from.01:30:47
We did not agree to pay this debt for Moldovagas.01:31:02
This would make our consumers pay an extra charge for this debt.01:31:15
We hired auditors who proved that the debt was around 8 million, not 700 million dollars.01:31:25
Gazprom claimed that we owned them 700 million.01:31:32
In fact, Moldovagas owned them 8 million.01:31:36
What conclusions can we draw?01:31:41
We tried to find an alternative supplier of gas.01:31:50
We don't accept such kind of negotiations.01:32:02
Were they trying to blackmail you?01:32:05
Were they trying to punish you for not being loyal?01:32:09
You may call it whatever you want.01:32:12
Where are you buying gas from now?01:32:14
We are buying it from the market.01:32:17
From Europe? Yes.01:32:18
Your opponent Igor Dodon says that Moldova is buying Russian gas from third parties.01:32:25
We are buying gas for the best price on the market.01:32:33
We have a choice now and this matters the most.01:32:35
For the first time in thirty years we have a choice.01:32:42
We can choose between suppliers based on the price.01:32:52
We are also creating an alternative for our power supply.01:32:56
In a year we will enter the European power supply market.01:33:05
Currently we are connected to this market through Ukraine.01:33:09
Every time that Ukraine gets shelled we are facing difficulties.01:33:14
We are now building a power lines to Romania.01:33:19
In the last three years we have reached a big progress in terms of energy security.01:33:26
We struggled a lot from increase in prices, though.01:33:28
You claimed that Wagner was planning a coup in Moldova in 2023.01:33:33
What do you know about their plan?01:33:35
We received some documents..I have already talked about it. It doesn't matter anymore.01:33:47
What matters is that they had a plan to come to power in Moldova.01:33:59
What kind of document was that?01:34:03
You avoided talking about these documents in your previous interviews..01:34:06
I can't tell you now..01:34:08
You can't tell or you don't know the details..01:34:12
I can't tell you the details. I told you what I could.01:34:19
It looks a little suspicious.01:34:21
Don't you believe that they had a plan to destabilize Moldova?01:34:30
It makes sense.01:34:31
They wanted to start the protests that would lead to a bloodshed.01:34:37
This makes sense but it lacks the details.01:34:43
It feels like you wanted to make people scared of Russia. Russia is definitely scary..01:34:48
Do you think Russia has nothing to do with it?01:34:54
I think that some politicians make claims that cannot be validated.01:35:03
The claim makes sense but we don't know if it's true or not.01:35:07
This doesn't help us. A threat of destabilization damages our economy.01:35:20
We care about our stability. On the other hand, we have to warn our people about the risks.01:35:33
We don't want them to fall for that.01:35:37
Everyone has a right to protest and to criticize the government.01:35:42
I recommend you to turn on TV and watch a talk show.01:35:52
You would see opposition members and their experts..01:35:58
You would hear a lot of criticism of my work.01:36:00
Sometimes peaceful protesters get involved in risky actions.01:36:19
You said that such information damaged your economy but you can also benefit from it.01:36:26
Creating an enemy..01:36:28
Creating an enemy can unite the whole country.01:36:32
Destabilization is never good.01:36:36
Stability is our primary priority since the war began. We have to remain peaceful.01:36:45
This is our primary goal. We will do everything to preserve peace.01:36:53
Security is our primary goal.01:36:56
Economy is important and the reforms are important.01:37:00
But our security comes first.01:37:06
A couple of days ago people who arrived from Moscow to Moldova were being searched in the airport.01:37:16
What was the problem?01:37:18
This is the same problem that we talked about earlier. I don't know why we talk about it so much.01:37:27
They were trying to bring a lot of money from Russia.01:37:40
Over a million dollars. They would later fund politicians with this money.01:37:50
Our laws don't allow other countries to fund politicians in Moldova.01:37:57
Can't Romania do it?01:38:00
They can't.01:38:01
Romania doesn't fund any political parties in Moldova.01:38:05
Meanwhile this gang is funded by Russia.01:38:09
A couple hundred people flew to Russia and each of them brought ten thousand Euro back.01:38:19
Yes. They are flying to Russia every week.01:38:23
They are flying back and forth..01:38:26
This is one of their methods. They are also using cryptocurrency..01:38:31
They are using different ways to bring illegal money to Moldova.01:38:40
They are funding the protesters and spreading misinformation..01:38:50
They are also buying votes.01:38:57
They need a lot of money to fund their actions.01:39:04
These people brought ten thousand Euro each. How did they break the law?01:39:09
This isn't illegal. However, there is evidence that this is illegal money.01:39:26
Did the money get confiscated at the airport?01:39:28
It did. There would be an investigation.01:39:35
The enforcers would have to show their evidence in court.01:39:42
Is this legal?01:39:46
I can explain why I'm asking you about this again.01:39:52
You say that EU is a great place with great values and this is true.01:39:56
The core of European values lies in bureaucracy.01:40:06
People who moved to EU recently might dislike it.01:40:15
I might be wrong but if I'm carrying ten thousand dollars with me and I am not funding anyone yet, I am not breaking any laws.01:40:30
In EU political parties are not allowed to be financed from Kremlin.01:40:40
Well, I can imagine that.01:40:43
This is what we are talking about.01:40:45
People got arrested in the airport..01:40:51
There will be a court case. We will see if they have enough evidence to prove that the money is illegal.01:41:02
This is happening everyday. They are using various methods to bring illegal money to Moldova.01:41:14
This is illegal. We are trying to have a judicial reform.01:41:20
Judges are uncomfortable because of the reform. They don't want to become transparent.01:41:34
Some judges are transparent.01:41:42
It is hard to fight this illegal money now.01:41:48
We are working on the reforms and we are trying to preserve the democracy.01:42:05
If we let all the illegal money into the country we know what would happen to our democracy.01:42:12
You are going to have the elections in October.01:42:17
Right?01:42:19
Yes. Presidential elections.01:42:20
And a referendum.01:42:21
On the same day you would have a referendum on European integration.01:42:29
Is it true that a year ago it was illegal to hold such votes at the same day?01:42:37
It is not true.01:42:38
Constitutional Court did not say it was impossible.01:42:46
You had to change some laws..01:42:49
Yes, but it wasn't prohibited by the Constitution.01:42:51
There is a new law that allows you to have two votes on the same day..01:42:56
The people of Moldova can make two important decisions on the same day.01:43:06
We want as many people to take part as possible.01:43:11
This is the most important decision for decades to come.01:43:21
I really hope that our people show up and vote.01:43:30
They have to decide.01:43:31
Look..It looks like a very smart move.01:43:52
There are Moldavians who support the integration but who are disappointed by your government.01:44:03
We will have a lot of candidates.01:44:07
However..01:44:08
They can pick whoever they want.01:44:10
They would vote for the integration and they would have to vote for you to guarantee the integration.01:44:22
This looks like a political trick to get more votes.01:44:31
You are associated with the integration. If I'm voting for the integration, I would have to vote for you.01:44:41
Moldavian people are smart. They can tell the difference.01:44:47
These are two separate votes..01:44:49
This is not about being smart. This is about the lack of choice.01:44:52
What lack of choice? There would be candidates who support the integration and who don't support it.01:45:05
People are smart enough to choose from these candidates.01:45:09
We would like to have the referendum as soon as possible.01:45:15
Pro-Russian politicians claim that European integration is not supported by our people.01:45:35
This is the time to ask our people.01:45:40
At this point we are already starting the negotiation process.01:45:45
We will have to introduce new reforms to enter Europe.01:45:50
We need to hear what our people think.01:45:55
We don't want to be blamed for not listening to people.01:46:01
Our people have to make this decision as soon as possible.01:46:07
We want more people to show up to the referendum.01:46:13
The presidential elections always have the highest participation level.01:46:22
If we want as many people as possible to vote, the presidential elections is the best moment for that.01:46:38
You are also introducing postal voting this time.01:46:45
Yes, we are planning to introduce it for our diaspore.01:46:51
Moldavians who live in big countries don't get a chance to vote because they have to travel to the embassy first.01:47:13
As far as I know, you are introducing postal voting from USA, Canada, and some European countries.01:47:21
And not from Russia.01:47:22
There is a list of criteria adopted by the Parliament..01:47:33
They are planning to send this law to the Venice Commission. We will see what they say about it.01:47:38
Russia is not on the list.01:47:42
The list is based on certain criteria.01:47:46
USA, Canada, Iceland and three European countries..01:47:55
Why isn't Russia on the list?01:47:56
There is a huge Moldavian diaspore in Russia.01:47:59
Russian didn't meet the criteria.01:48:00
Which criteria?01:48:01
I can't tell exactly.01:48:07
I can tell you how this looks from the outside. I am not trying to be an expert.01:48:14
Let me repeat. The Parliament will send this law to the Venice Commission for their fair review.01:48:28
Let's assume they give a positive review.01:48:33
It would look like they are helping Maia Sandu.01:48:40
People from the list of the countries would vote for you because they live in liberal democratic countries and support your values.01:48:56
People from Russia..01:49:01
Can you trust Russian postal services?01:49:09
This is disrespectful towards Moldavians in Russia. Or do you blame them for Putin's crimes?01:49:14
I think that the whole diaspore must be able to vote.01:49:21
I think that it would be unfair to discriminate them. It's either everybody or nobody.01:49:25
We are testing postal voting this year. Next time there will be postal voting from other countries, too.01:49:31
We have talked about freedom of speech, political competition, and the upcoming elections.01:49:41
When we were preparing for the interview, our small team agreed on this opinion:01:49:52
I don't know if you followed Russian politics in 1990s.01:49:58
This was a very important period for Russia. It probably led us to where we are at now.01:50:05
Let me read you a message from our chat.01:50:12
This is a conclusion that we came to after preparing for the interview.01:50:15
'This looks exactly like the 1996 elections in Russia.
A democratic president has failed the reforms and hasn't improved the standards of living'01:50:30
'Not because the president was corrupt but because he was inexperienced.'01:50:35
'His ratings fell down and his team cheated to win the elections'01:50:42
'They violated the freedom of speech, they started a propaganda, they claimed that their opponent was an enemy from the past'01:50:48
'They wished for the best: they didn't want the Soviet Union to come back'01:50:51
'Their candidate won and decided to use such methods in the future. A little crime is not a threat for the democracy'01:50:58
'He did it for the country, not for himself. We know how it ended for Russia'01:51:04
'The democracy isn't at power, the democrats are'01:51:11
Would you agree or disagree with this comparison?01:51:17
I would like to tell you that we faced a lot of problem in Moldova in the last thirty years.01:51:24
We managed to preserve our democracy.01:51:26
We protested as much as we had to because we cared about our democracy.01:51:41
A lot has to be done to build a stronger democracy.01:51:50
We need to establish institutions of power.01:51:57
It can't be done in a year or two.01:52:02
We have managed to protect our democracy throughout thirty years.01:52:10
I feel like some countries can learn from us. We will continue to protect our democracy.01:52:17
Sometimes we protest, sometimes we create the real parties.01:52:28
I have been to many villages in Moldova. People tell me I'm being too soft with my reforms.01:52:40
I explain them that I have to follow the rules. If I don't follow the rules I will be wrong.01:52:56
Moldova is working very hard to join EU. We want to do it for the sake of our security and our democracy.01:53:08
We want to continue to consolidate our democracy.01:53:13
We like freedom. We have proven this in the last thirty years.01:53:18
We don't always win but we will continue working hard.01:53:28
This is our only way to succeed. We have to solve a lot of problems.01:53:33
Corruption is hard to fight. The war is a big challenge for our economy.01:53:46
We didn't have a strong economy before the war.01:53:52
We are doing our best to become more attractive in terms of investment.01:53:59
People are not investing in our country because of the war in Ukraine.01:54:10
We had our ups and downs, however, Moldavians chose freedom.01:54:20
We did our best to avoid autocracy. We will not become an autocracy.01:54:27
You can talk to Moldavians in the streets. They would tell you if they agree with you or not. 01:54:43
Joining European Union is the only way to preserve our democracy.01:54:57
Do you have a dream outside of your job?01:55:00
I want to have some rest and to sleep more.01:55:02
I want to go hiking for two weeks.01:55:07
You have been to Machu Picchu. Do you have any other peaks of your dream?01:55:10
I really like the Romanian mountains. They are located close to Moldova and I really like their nature.01:55:28
These mountains are not very tall but I still like them.01:55:31
I wouldn't like to climb a tall mountain. I would like to have a two-week vacation.01:55:42
How long does your vacation typically last?01:55:45
I had a week off last year.01:55:50
Do you have a dream related to your job?01:55:52
Of course, I do. Joining EU.01:55:58
I will be happy when we do it.01:56:00
What if people vote against the integration..Would it be over for Moldova?01:56:06
Or is there still a chance?01:56:08
According to the polls, people are going to vote for the integration.01:56:14
It's up to the people.01:56:16
What if 58% vote against the integration? Would it be over?01:56:22
It's up for the people to vote.01:56:26
If they vote against the integration, they would slow the process down..01:56:31
But they would not stop the process.01:56:32
I think this would not stop the process.
Sooner or later they would realize that there is no other choice.01:56:41
If we want to feel safe and make Moldova a better country we need to join EU.01:56:48
Countries that joined EU have succeeded more than we did in the last twenty years.01:56:59
The gap is obvious.01:57:01
I asked you about your first presidential term and you argued with me and agreed with me on some problems.01:57:12
I felt like you blamed others for your failures.
Is there anything that you blame yourself for?01:57:26
Did you make any mistakes?01:57:30
Of course, we did. Everyone makes mistakes.01:57:33
We underestimated the resistance that our judicial reform would face.01:57:45
We hoped to achieve the results much faster.
This process is taking us much more time.01:57:55
Is this your only mistake?01:57:57
This is one of my biggest mistakes.01:58:00
When I was talking to different people about the last four years in Moldova..01:58:13
A few of them told me the same thing and I wrote it down.01:58:20
I summarized what they told me and I am about to read it for you.01:58:25
'I voted for Maia at the elections. She managed to defeat the oligarchs and it was a great victory.'01:58:35
'I had a lot of hopes for her. Four years later all I can say is that I am disappointed.'01:58:40
'The standards of living have not increased. I am no longer sure we have the rule of law'01:58:48
These people will definitely watch this interview. What can you tell them?01:58:56
First of all, we promised to have honest people at power and we did it.01:59:06
Oligarchs are not in jail yet, this is true.01:59:11
They are no longer in power and they are no longer stealing money, which is very important.01:59:21
We have to work harder to bring back what they stole from us.01:59:28
We have worked to build a stronger economy. We faced an energy crisis and the war.01:59:39
We faced refugees. 01:59:43
I am not blaming all the problems on these crises.01:59:53
However, these four years have been one of the most challenging periods in our history.02:00:02
We took some big steps towards European integration. This matters for all of us.02:00:16
All people of Moldova will be better off when we join EU.02:00:22
We have been talking about it since 2005, when Voronin was the President.02:00:28
The Parliament voted for the integration in 2005.02:00:35
And this time we took big steps towards it. We are starting the negotiation process.02:00:39
We will have to work on the rest of the problems.02:00:45
Thank you very much.
Thank you.Description:
Если вы в Испании или планируете сюда переехать, заполняйте регистрационную форму https://freedaspace.com/register/ Подписывайтесь на наш телеграм-канал https://t.me/yurydud 0:00 Вперед! 0:57 О чем это интервью? 1:34 Что вы делали в ночь на 24 февраля 2022-го? 3:59 Как бы вы поступили на месте Зеленского? 5:34 Как быстро легализоваться и социализироваться в Европе 8:36 Когда вы последний раз плакали? 9:50 Кого поддерживают молдаване: Россию или Украину? 13:04 Правда ли, что Украина предлагала вам решить вопрос Приднестровья? 15:45 Бюджет армии Молдовы vs оборона мадридского «Реала» 17:37 Если Россия вторгнется в Молдову, будет ли Молдова защищаться? 19:00 Что вам не нравится в вашей работе? 21:41 Предвыборные обещания и реальность 26:31 Пользуетесь ли вы мобильным телефоном? 31:57 Почему Молдова не поборола коррупцию? 43:12 Зачем вам паспорт Румынии? 46:03 Музыканты «Би-2» попросили гражданство Молдовы. Получат ли они его? 49:36 В Молдове заблокировали десятки СМИ. Что это, если не цензура? 1:02:17 Можно ли защищать демократию недемократическими методами? 1:06:29 Сколько вы зарабатываете? 1:08:22 Почему Молдова – бедная страна? 1:17:56 Ваш оппонент был арестован в ваш день рождения. Как так вышло? 1:22:52 Гагаузия 1:26:17 Почему вы никогда не встречались с Путиным? 1:29:12 Газовый кризис 1:33:28 ЧВК «Вагнер» готовила переворот в Молдове. Что вы об этом знаете? 1:37:06 Что случилось в аэропорту Кишинева? 1:42:12 Референдум о евроинтеграции в день выборов президента. Разве это политтехнологический трюк? 1:46:38 На выборах президента будет доступно голосование по почте из США и Канады. Почему не из России? 1:54:56 О чем вы мечтаете? 1:58:00 Что бы вы сказали людям, которые поддерживали вас, но разочаровались? На 52-й минуте мы задали вопрос: есть ли в Молдове медиа, которые могут критиковать президента и основанную ей партию? Команда Майи Санду пообещала выслать список таких медиа. Вот он: TV8 - https://www.tv8.md/ JurnalTV - https://www.jurnaltv.md/page/ultima-ora ProTV Chișinău - https://protv.md/ OneTV - info1.md N4 - https://n4.md/ Realitatea TV - https://realitatea.md/stiri/politica/ TV Moldova 1 - https://moldova1.md/p/24117/referendum-privind-integrarea-europeana-presedintia-organizeaza-consultari-publice-cu-reprezentantii-partidelor-politice TVR Moldova - https://tvrmoldova.md/ Vocea Basarabiei - https://voceabasarabiei.md/category/politic/ TVC21 - https://www.facebook.com/unsupportedbrowser GRT (from Gaguz Authonomy) - https://grt.md/ IPN news agency - https://www.ipn.md/ro/politica-7965.html Agora.md - https://agora.md/Politic ZdG - https://www.zdg.md/importante/despre-casa-presedintei-informatiile-din-spatiul-public-confruntate-cu-datele-cadastrale-si-realitatea-de-la-fata-locului/ Rise Moldova - https://www.rise.md/articol/ Cu Sens - https://cusens.md/ru/category/rassledovaniia/ unimedia.md - https://unimedia.info/ro/category/politic telegraph agency - https://telegraph.md/ noi.md - https://noi.md/md/politica Mega TV - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_mRHoqqo_ZDJEUsnPoQLUg/videos
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