[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 70 (Thursday, April 28, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E433]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           SUPPORTING MOLDOVA

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JOE WILSON

                           of south carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 28, 2022

  Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Madam Speaker, as the civilized world 
has been unintentionally unified in opposition to Putin conducting mass 
murder in Ukraine, Putin has unwittingly unified Republicans and 
Democrats in America. A clear example is Republican support of an op-ed 
from the Democrat Washington Post by Josh Rogin ``West can't afford to 
neglect Moldova, because Putin won't'' being the lead Opinion April 
24th in The State paper of Columbia, South Carolina:

                           West Can't Afford

       As the United States and Europe continue to scramble to 
     help Ukraine defend its territory, preserve its democracy and 
     save its economy, they should keep in mind that Ukraine is 
     not the only country in the region suffering due to Russian 
     President Vladimir Putin's aggression. Next door, the small 
     country of Moldova is appealing to the West for urgent help 
     and long-term partnership. If we turn away from Moldova, 
     again, we will push it into Putin's arms.
       ``The Russian military aggression in Ukraine is making 
     every single person in Europe feel less secure and is having 
     a negative impact on every single person in Europe,'' 
     Moldova's foreign minister, Nicu Popescu, told me in an 
     interview last week in Washington. ``And of course, this 
     impact is more negative on Moldova, because Moldova is right 
     there.''
       Popescu' s official title is Minister of Foreign Affairs 
     and European Integration, which should tell us something. The 
     new government in Moldova, one of the region's poorest 
     countries, is trying to break a longrunning pattern of 
     political dysfunction, systemic corruption and malign 
     influence coming from Moscow. The December 2020 landslide 
     election of Moldova's first outright pro- Western president, 
     the Harvard-educated former World Bank economist Maia Sandu, 
     presents the best chance yet to move Moldova firmly into the 
     Western camp.
       The Moldovan government has always tried to balance its 
     relationships, for understandable reasons. Russia has 1,500 
     troops occupying the Moldovan breakaway territory of 
     Transnistria and controls Moldova's energy supply. There is 
     still a large pro-Russian constituency in Moldovan politics, 
     business and society.
       But the invasion of Ukraine has changed everything in 
     geopolitics, especially for Ukraine's neighbors who now see 
     that ``neutrality'' does not protect a small country from 
     being viciously attacked on Putin's whim. The Moldovan 
     government has condemned the Russian invasion, even though 
     Putin's retaliation could prove disastrous.
       ``Moldova is a neutral state, but neutrality only refers to 
     us not participating in military action,'' Popescu told me. 
     ``We're not neutral when it comes to condemning the 
     aggression. We're not neutral when it comes to defending the 
     principles of international law, which must be respected.''
       The United States and European countries have been paying 
     more attention to Moldova recently. Secretary of State Antony 
     Blinken visited the capital, Chisinau, last month. The United 
     States has given Moldova $130 million since the Ukraine war 
     started to help with the hundreds of thousands of new 
     refugees spilling over the border.
       But that's just a Band-Aid for Moldova's problems.
       ``We need to ensure socioeconomic stability. We are 
     severely impacted by the war. We are Ukraine's most fragile 
     neighbor,'' Popescu said. ``We've been coping reasonably well 
     with the humanitarian crisis, the refugee situation and the 
     energy crisis. We've been pursuing reforms. But, it's a 
     difficult region.''
       The question is whether the West's recent increased 
     attention to Moldova will persist beyond the current crisis. 
     Popescu's visit was framed as a new ``strategic dialogue'' 
     with the United States, but a similar effort during the Obama 
     administration withered away.
       There are several specific things the United States could 
     do to cement its commitment to Moldova's long-term stability 
     and success. The Justice Department could do more to go after 
     Moldova's sanctioned oligarchs and their wealth, especially 
     the ones living in the United States. U.S. organizations 
     should double down on helping Moldova continue its reforms 
     and root out corruption. And the United States can help 
     Moldova diversify its energy supply, diluting Putin's 
     leverage.
       And while Moldova isn't seeking military assistance, it has 
     a huge and growing need for help fortifying and managing its 
     borders, including the 863 miles it shares with Ukraine. 
     That's perhaps the most urgent effort, because if Ukraine 
     falls, Moldova could easily be Russia's next target. Would 
     Putin actually invade Moldova and try to topple the 
     prowestern government, as he is attempting to do next door?
       ``We don't know,'' Popescu told me. ``Our task is to be 
     ready for everything.''

  In conclusion, I am grateful for the committed service of Mr. Eugen 
Caras, Ambassador of the Republic of Moldova to the United States of 
America and United Mexican States.
  We stand together to deter war criminal Putin with the courageous 
people of Ukraine led by President Zelenskyy who has adopted the spirit 
of the American Revolution ``Don't tread on me'', ``Live Free or Die.''
  The unity of freedom-loving countries was reinforced by President 
Salome Zourabichvili of Georgia who I am grateful to meet with today. 
He has courageously cited that the people of Georgia are 100 percent 
united in ``solidarity with Ukraine.''

                          ____________________