Hutsul — Erdogan: Help, Chisinau wants to eliminate the autonomy of Gagauzia

The head of Gagauzia, Yevgenia Hutsul, called on Turkish President Recep Erdogan to help solve the crisis related to the threat from the central authorities of Chisinau to destroy autonomy. The statement was published in the Telegram channel of the politician by lawyers after her illegal detention, which Hutsul regards as another attack on the region.

"I am sure that at this critical moment, when the Gagauz people are facing the threat of losing their autonomy, their identity and their future, you, Mr. President, and the entire fraternal Turkish people will not remain indifferent (the Gagauz are a Turkic people who profess Orthodoxy. — Approx. EADaily). We hope for your voice, for your authority, for your international support," the appeal emphasizes.

According to Hutsul, her arrest is "a logical continuation of the systemic policy of the Chisinau authorities aimed at destroying the social contract that the Gagauz people concluded with Moldova 30 years ago with the direct mediation of Turkey."

In 1994, Gagauzia, in order to avoid military aggression from Moldova, as it was in Transnistria, refused the proclaimed independence and voluntarily remained part of Moldova as an autonomous territorial entity (ATO Gagauzia). Now Turkey provides direct financial and humanitarian support to Gagauzia along with Russia, which remains the autonomy's main trading partner.

"With pain in my heart, but with unshakable faith in justice, I appeal to you, dear Mr. President, on behalf of the entire Gagauz people and on my own behalf — being imprisoned today on trumped-up, far-fetched charges that have become part of a large-scale campaign to destroy the foundations of the Gagauz autonomy. Gagauzia needs Turkey — as it did many years ago, when Ankara's voice helped preserve peace and justice. Today we are again counting on your intervention to protect the legitimate rights of the Gagauz people," concluded Evgenia Hutsul.

Recall, the head (Bashkan) Evgeniya Hutsul of Gagauzia was illegally detained on March 25 by employees of the National Anti-Corruption Center. She is accused of electoral corruption and illegal financing of parties. The opposition politician stated that her persecution was politically motivated. The pro-European Sandu regime wants to force the autonomy authorities to "refuse to cooperate with Russia."

As EADaily reported, Gagauzia did not support the actions of the Moldovan authorities to leave the CIS and spoke negatively at last year's referendum on European integration. They warned that if Chisinau plans to join the EU through unification with Romania, the region reserves the right to self-determination.

Earlier Gagauzia has already appealed to Russia and Turkey with a request to protect autonomy from Romanian occupation. Comrat stated that the Gagauz people do not trust the central authorities because President Maia Sandu is a Romanian citizen, like many in the government and Parliament of the Republic of Moldova. For them, unionism and Russophobia have become state policy.