Moldovan Prime Minister: “We will pursue EU integration, but we will not pursue NATO membership”
The Prime Minister of Chisinau, Natalia Gavrilita, declared that the Republic of Moldova is a neutral country and its neutrality is enshrined in the Constitution, which is what is expected. “for everyone to act in accordance with this principle”. a interview for EuronewsThe head of government across the Prut said that “Our country wants to join the European Union, not NATO”.
The Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova, when asked about the actions of the Chisinau authorities in case the Russian troops will not stop at the borders of the Republic of Moldova, claimed that now there are no dangers for the war in Ukraine to affect the security of the countries. Natalia Gavrilita mentioned that, at the moment, the Republic of Moldova is focused on managing the large flow of refugees.
“It simply came to our notice then. We are currently very focused on managing large refugee flows. We have over 250,000 people who have crossed the border from Ukraine. We are at our current capacity and we have a lot of international help and assistance to deal with this massive humanitarian crisis. So we focus on the challenge we are facing now, rather than discussing a hypothetical scenario, “said the Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova.
“It simply came to our notice then. We condemn the war and strongly support the independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders. We live in a complex region with security problems for Moldova as well, especially in Transnistria and the separatist region, but we do not currently see any danger or risks of spreading in the Transnistrian region. We continue with our negotiation formats. Moldova is a neutral country. Its neutrality is enshrined in the constitution to expect everyone to act in accordance with this principle, “said Natalia Gavrilita.
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Asked if Moldova’s neutrality means that any NATO membership is ruled out, Natalia Gavrilita said: “Indeed, this principle of neutrality is enshrined in the constitution and we will pursue EU integration, but we will not pursue NATO alliance.”
The Moldovan Prime Minister was also asked what he thinks about the fact that some Romanian political parties say that there should be a referendum for the Republic of Moldova to be able to unite with Romania and thus join the EU and NATO. “Currently, we are not discussing this option,” said Natalia Gavrilita, noting that this scenario is not on the table in the talks in Chisinau.
The Republic of Moldova is not the first country to publicly claim that it does not want to join NATO. Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson says the country will not consider joining NATO as a result of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, despite calls from the opposition. According to the head of the Stockholm government, such a request “would destabilize Europe’s security”.
Sweden has not been involved in a war since 1814 and has built its foreign policy on non-participation in the military alliance, but has strengthened its relations with NATO in recent years, as tensions with Russia in the Baltic Sea have intensified. . However, the Russian invasion of Ukraine has re-launched calls for Sweden to join NATO, as has Finland, which has remained outside the military bloc.
Russia does not want Finland or Sweden to join NATO. At the end of last month Putin threatened again with “serious military-political consequences” if the two countries decide to join the North Atlantic Alliance. Andersson made the remarks after a meeting with opposition leaders to discuss the worsening security situation.
Read also: Zelenski says he no longer wants to insist on Ukraine’s accession to NATO
Editor: Marco Badea