MEP Gyöngyösi: EU must stand by Moldova
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MEP Márton Gyöngyösi’s (Non-attached) thoughts via press release:
We have seen more and more worrying signs coming from the little country of Moldova wedged between Romania and Ukraine. Ever since the current pro-West government got into power, presumably Moscow-organized street protests have been going on, while the Ukraine war keeps bringing down the economy in one of Europe’s poorest countries: due to the energy shortage, the now regular power outages are coupled with sky-rocketing inflation.
Since becoming independent in 1991, Moldova has been struggling with its independence and even identity being disputed by various countries. On their west, Romanian nationalists have been issuing a series of demands that Moldova should be attached to Romania. In their eastern region beyond the Dniester River, they saw a war breaking out almost immediately after Moldova’s declaration of independence, between the industrial area with a Russian-speaking population and the central government. As a result, the pro-Moscow separatist “Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic” still hosts 1500-2000 Russian “peacekeeping” troops, which posed quite a significant threat after the Ukraine war broke out, especially if you consider that the Russian command’s clear goal for the early stage of the war was to establish a geographical connection between the separatist community and Russia.
Although their plan was foiled by the strong Ukrainian resistance, it is still a fact that Moldova’s airspace is repeatedly violated by Russian missiles, which clearly shows how much Moscow respects the independence of a small country moving towards the EU.
To make matters worse, the last few days have seen a significant escalation of events in Moldova: first they had to close their airspace due to a drone flying over the country, followed by the government’s announcement that there was a realistic threat of a pro-Russia coup. Exhausted by the constant crisis management, the government resigned just after that.
Clearly, Moldova can only rely on the European Union in terms of its economy as well as the protection of its national sovereignty. In the meantime, the EU, which has already granted a membership candidate status to Moldova, must do its utmost to guarantee the small Eastern European country’s security.
Disclaimer: the sole liability for the opinions stated rests with the author(s). These opinions do not necessarily reflect the official position of the European Parliament.
