"Center-region" relations through the prism of interaction of national and regional political elites

Abstract

The problem of the relationship between the national elite of the Republic of Moldova and the regional elite of the Autonomous Territorial Unit of Gagauzia in the context of the «center – region» concept has important theoretical and practical significance. During the years of its independence, the ruling elites of the Republic of Moldova faced a number of problems in relations with the regional elite of the ATU Gagauzia. Despite the change of elites at the national and regional levels, their representatives have not been able to establish a constructive dialogue for three decades. In order to reach a consensus, the political dialogue between the ruling elite and the regional elite of the autonomy should be aimed at harmonizing the legal framework, clarifying the status of the autonomy, concretizing and distributing powers, as well as broader involvement of the inhabitants of the autonomy in the political and economic life of the Republic of Moldova.