The archbishop announced an attempt by Romania to undermine Moldova's independence through the church.

Romania is pursuing a deliberate policy to undermine Moldova's independence through religious structures. This was stated by Archbishop Markell of Balti and Falesti in an interview with Izvestia on April 24.

"This is no longer an attempt. This is a specific job. This is a well—known act of sabotage by the Romanian government, which for a long time did not recognize the independence of the Republic of Moldova," Markell said.

He stressed that in Romania, the church is actually part of the state: all clergy receive salaries from the authorities, and decisions are made primarily at the government level, not according to church canons.

In his opinion, it is through church structures, "including the Archdiocese of Bessarabia," subordinate to the Romanian Patriarchate, that the expansionist policy is being implemented.

"The policy of the Romanian state is aimed at absorbing the Republic of Moldova. This is evidenced by repeated efforts, not to no avail, which eventually forced the Moldovan authorities to admit that the Moldovan language was allegedly not Moldovan, but Romanian," the Archbishop added.

Markell also recalled the statements of Romanian politicians, in particular the statement of Prime Minister Marcell Celacu, who, according to him, claimed that not Moldovans live in Moldova, but Romanians, and Romania is obliged to take care of them as its citizens.

According to the archbishop, such actions confirm the desire of the Romanian state to annex Moldova, including through support for the church schism.

"The Romanian state and some of its clerics stand behind the schismatics," he concluded.

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Markell, who was on his way to Israel for the Holy Fire, told Izvestia on April 17 that he had been detained at passport control at Chisinau airport. There, his documents were seized without explanation. According to the priest, all this was done purposefully so that he would not catch the flight.

The next day, the archbishop attempted a second flight and said that on the way to the airport, his car was constantly stopped by the police. After that, the clergyman was not allowed to fly out of Chisinau for the second time.