MOSCOW, April 19. /TASS/. Western countries seek to make Transnistria a hotbed of tension, hoping to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia, but they have no chance, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with radio stations Sputnik, Govorit Moskva, and Komsomolskaya Pravda.
"[Western countries] want to turn Transnistria into a hotspot of tension. They are claiming, as you have most likely heard, that they only need to use military force to end this formation and hand Russia another strategic setback. But they have no chance," Lavrov stated.
According to him, the leaders who rule countries where they claim to be from while holding foreign passports "will not enjoy support and authority for long."
The Foreign Minister also used the example of Gagauzia, which has already blocked the organization of a vote in Moldova on joining the European Union.
"You know that Gagauzia has already stated that they will not submit to this referendum, especially since they are deprived of their rights simply for saying let’s not go to the European Union, but rather look for ways to improve relations with Russia so that we can be friends with all of our neighbors. They are denied budgetary subsidies that are entitled to by law," Lavrov explained.