Speaker of the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova Igor Grosu said on Tuesday that the Russian Federation has long 'very skilfully and cynically' exploited, and continues to exploit, vulnerabilities in the organisation and integrity of electoral processes and campaigns.

Igor Grosu took part in the Black Sea and Balkans Security Forum, in a panel on 'Russian hybrid warfare in Europe'.

He referred to elections held in the Republic of Moldova last year, noting that Moldovan citizens had been 'constantly kept on alert regarding interference and meddling in the electoral process'.

'Especially between elections, we were preoccupied with other issues such as the Ukrainian refugee crisis, the energy crisis, logistics and other challenges. Of course, we are talking about the Russian Federation, which has very skilfully and cynically used, and continues to use, our vulnerabilities - but this applies to all countries: things we did not address in time. I am referring here to better organisation and greater integrity of electoral processes and campaigns. Initially, this was a vulnerability that we had to correct. And, in most cases, it starts with how electoral campaigns and political parties are financed. That is the Achilles' heel,' Grosu said.

The Moldovan parliament speaker warned that unless issues related to the fairness and financing of electoral campaigns and political parties are addressed, there is a risk of exposing 'the political and electoral system to very cynical interference'.

'We learned this lesson during the period when oligarch-style politicians dominated the Republic of Moldova, with virtually unlimited resources. We had to limit funding and introduce transparency requirements. And the most important thing is not only to adopt coherent and sound legislation, but above all to build capacity within the institutions that monitor this process,' he added.

Grosu said Romania had faced similar challenges, stressing that 'the way political parties are financed shapes the functioning of the state'.

He argued that if parties are funded improperly and without transparency, once in power they replicate those practices within state institutions.

He also warned that more sophisticated funding mechanisms have since emerged.

'Beyond the conduct of institutions, which must all be aligned, the behaviour and attitude of citizens are also crucial. We managed to win over and keep citizens on our side. It was not easy; we had to communicate proactively, to have civil society on our side, as well as the media - especially investigative journalism, which often reaches places institutions do not and is sometimes more credible in conveying messages to society,' Grosu said.

According to the speaker of the parliament in Chisinau, cooperation between states through information-sharing is vital to prevent and deter cross-border crime, including attempts by state and non-state actors to interfere in domestic processes.

He added that, with the support of specialised institutions in Romania, the Republic of Moldova had been able to anticipate, deter and safeguard its electoral process.

'The conclusion is simple: we must remain vigilant. It does not end. Even after elections are concluded and results validated, interference does not stop. We are engaged with you in a continuous cognitive war, which is clearly not comparable to conventional warfare. This cognitive war is ongoing and has largely shifted to social media platforms, which have become a permanent infrastructure for manipulation and disinformation. I am referring to TikTok, Facebook, YouTube. This brings another challenge that small countries like the Republic of Moldova cannot face alone - the need to hold non-state actors accountable and to impose rules on those who use these platforms to interfere in our internal political processes. We need a common voice from all democratic countries and societies to protect our societies,' Igor Grosu said. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Alina Novaceanu; EN - writing by: Simona Iacob)