Romanian President Ion Iliescu said in a televised speech on Thursday that the ruling party in Moldova is a communist party with "bad stalinist habits" and condemned its "anti-Romania campaign."

The news agency Mediafax quoted the Romanian leader as saying that Bucharest has been does its best to have a very active and open relationship with Chisinau and to offer political support to Moldova's efforts to join European and regional structures. Iliescu noted that Romanian officials in return have been struck of the "anti-Romanian campaign in Moldova."

The Romanian chief of state stressed that the has informed Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin about this fact at an August meeting in Stanca-Costesti. "However, I see that no positive outcome has followed. We showed sincerity, we spoke about the need to make abstraction of ideological differences: it is a communist party, I see that it is not only communist, but also one with bad stalinist habits and mentality that reflects... denigration of its own state and own identity," Iliescu underlined.

He warned that "this defiant attitude towards Romanians who hold Moldovan citizenship" favours neither Moldova, nor its citizens. "Did they discover a Romanian minority of tens thousands? I am sorry, 65 percent of Moldova's population are Romanians, they speak Romanian. They also claim their origins from Eminescu. Well, Eminescu spoke about Romanian language... Why should they be ashamed of this status, of this identity," Iliescu wondered.

He highlighted that the Austrians have an independent state, but they speak German and they are not ashamed of saying that it is German, the way the "Americans speak English, they were an English colony, they speak English, though this language now... contains Americanisms."

"Thus, it is a completely primitive manner and harmful for the state of spirit even in Moldova, for its citizens from the political point of view. Instead of being neighbours and supporting each other in order to prepare a common European future for ourselves, this policy seems to me completely damaging and harmful for Moldova above all," Iliescu added.