German Foreign Minister Accuses Russia Of Plans To Destabilize Georgia, Moldova

Fahad Shabbir (@FahadShabbir) Published March 20, 2023 | 01:10 PM

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 20th March, 2023) German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock told Spanish newspaper El Pais on Monday that Russia was allegedly trying to destabilize the situation in Georgia and Moldova due to the countries' decision to "follow the European path."

"This is part of Russia's strategy to destabilize societies following the European path," Baerbock told the newspaper, when asked whether she shared concerns over Georgia and Moldova potentially going over to the side of Moscow.

The top German diplomat also said that Russian attempts to influence the two nations were allegedly "intensifying" due to the ongoing military conflict in Ukraine.

"We share European values with them (Moldova and Georgia) and support their desire to decide for themselves to live in peace and freedom through the prospect of membership in Europe," Baerbock added.

In February, Moldovan President Maia Sandu said that Russia was allegedly seeking to change the constitutional order in the country with the participation of the Moldovan opposition, including the Sor party.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, in turn, said that Moscow wants to have good relations with Chisinau, adding that the Moldovan government was using accusations against Russia to divert public attention from its failure to tackle the nation's political and economic crises.

On March 7, the Georgian parliament passed a bill in first reading requiring mandatory registration of entities receiving funding from abroad, which caused mass protests over the following two days. The police dispersed the demonstrations using tear gas and water cannons and detained 133 protesters. The parliament voted against the bill at the second reading on March 10.

Commenting on the events in Georgia and Ukraine, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said that Moscow was concerned about attempts by the United States and its allies to create new stress points on Russia's borders