FAKE NEWS: Moldova’s raprochement with the EU will lead to the recognition of gay marriages

The new Government in Chisinau is a puppet of the West, which will impose both the legalization of homosexual marriages, and the union with Romania, according to a comment published by the Russian portal politnavigator.net, taken over in the Republic of Moldova. The portal actually resumes false narratives about the danger of the Republic of Moldova’s rapprochement with the EU, but also of its disappearance as a state, due to the alleged influence of the pro-Western forces.
 
NEWS: “Maia Sandu's team is ready to do anything to achieve the much-coveted EU accession prospect, including by placing the internal market and the justice system under the full control of European officials. The harmonization of Moldovan legislation with the EU legal system means, among other things, the recognition of gay marriages and the adoption of children by gay families.
 
The Gavriliță government’s program pays special attention the strategic partnership with Romania, «based on the community of history, culture and language». For the first time in the Republic of Moldova, a governing program speaks of joint meetings of the governments of Moldova and Romania. This means no less than the soft annexation of Moldova by the neighboring country”, according to the Russian publication politnavigator.net.
 
“The purpose of this government's activity is to have Moldova join the anti-Russian bloc of states located between the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea and, if possible, to bring the union with Romania closer.”
 
NARRATIVES: 1. The new Government in Chisinau is a puppet in the hands of the West. 2 The government will carry out all the orders given by the West, including the recognition of same-sex marriages. 3. The Republic of Moldova will ally with a common, anti-Russian front, and the government will allow and facilitate the unification of the Republic of Moldova with Romania.
 
LOCAL CONTEXT / ETHOS: On Friday, August 6, the Chisinau Parliament voted for a new Government, headed by Natalia Gavriliță, a close collaborator of the pro-European President Maia Sandu. Natalia Gavriliță is the vice-president of the Action and Solidarity Party, which won most votes and 63 seats out of 101 in the unicameral Parliament in Chisinau, as a result of the early parliamentary elections of July 11th. 
 
The election campaign was marked by accusations from the political left and their loyal media, but also from Moscow, concerning the alleged involvement of the West, especially the USA, in the elections. Thus, the “scarecrows” warning of the danger of the union of the Republic of Moldova with Romania, of its disappearance as a state, were brought back into the public space. However, it is for the first time in the history of the Republic of Moldova that a right-wing party obtains a parliamentary majority on its own.
 
The program of the new Government is focused on reforms of the justice system and the fight against corruption, as well as the rapprochement of the Republic of Moldova with the European Union.
 
PURPOSE: To maintain in the public space the topics related to the risks of the Republic of Moldova uniting with Romania and those relating to the rapprochement with the EU and to associate citizens’ dissatisfaction with the western world.
 
WHY THE NARRATIVES ARE FALSE: The Republic of Moldova began to harmonize its legislation with that of the European Union during the communist government (2001-2009), as that was one of the main conditions for signing the Association Agreement, achieving visa liberalization and benefiting from important financial programs. This does not entail the recognition of same-sex marriages. There is no such condition even for the EU Member States, and everyone makes decisions in this regard at national level.
 
The governments of Romania and the Republic of Moldova have held joint sessions since 2012. All of them have resulted in the initiation of concrete joint projects, or support for the Republic of Moldova, such as the 150-million-euro loan agreed in 2015. Joint meetings have been organized between the governments of Romania and Bulgaria, as well as with the Hungarian government. No such meeting was preceded by the unification of those states.
 
The Gavriliță Government's program provides for the restoration and strengthening of bilateral relations with all of Moldova’s major partners, including Russia. And the frequent comments about attracting the Republic of Moldova into an anti-American coalition, given that it has one of the smallest and most underfunded military forces in the world, as studies show, have no ground and are rather aimed at causing panic in society and fueling fears of the West.
 
GRAIN OF TRUTH:  To the new Government in Chisinau, European integration is a “key priority” of the Republic of Moldova’s foreign policy.
 
THE NARRATIVE BENEFITS: Moscow, the Bloc of Communists and Socialists.