Economica.net – “Is it time to join NATO?” POLITICO quotes an interview in which Maia Sandu stated that there is “a serious discussion” if the Republic of Moldova should give up its neutrality.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is causing neighboring Moldova to reflect on the need for the country to move away from the neutrality enshrined in the Constitution and guarantee its security in a “larger alliance”. Asked about a potential accession to NATO, the president of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu, said in an interview for POLITICO granted in Davos that the country should still analyze the next step and whether a constitutional amendment would be needed.
“Now, there is a serious discussion (…) about our ability to defend ourselves, whether we can do it alone or whether we should be part of a larger alliance,” said Maia Sandu. “And if, at some point, we come to the conclusion, as a nation, that we need to change neutrality, this should happen through a democratic process,” added the President of the Republic of Moldova.
In her answer, Maia Sandu was careful not to mention the name of NATO, notes POLITICO. For Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is trying to destabilize the pro-EU government of Moldova, the name NATO sounds like a real anathema, and regarding an increased military cooperation between Chisinau and the Western allies. Although Moldova is not a member of NATO, it cooperates with the organization and contributes to the NATO-led peacekeeping force in Kosovo, the Brussels publication explains.
Maia Sandu, together with other leaders, met with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in New York during the United Nations General Assembly last September. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Moldova, Nicu Popescu, participated in the December NATO meeting in Bucharest – it was the first time that a Moldovan Foreign Minister participated in a NATO ministerial meeting. At that meeting, the Allies reconfirmed their support for the Republic of Moldova, including by providing training for the Moldovan defense forces. Also, Romania, a neighbor of Moldova and a NATO member country, is particularly keen to intensify its military cooperation, writes POLITICO.
A “DELICATE DANCE” FOR MOLDOVA
The most obvious obstacle to the integration of the Republic of Moldova is the fact that Russian soldiers have bases inside the country, in the separatist region of Transnistria, the publication continues. However, the military calculation is becoming more pressing, points out POLITICO. Moldova was dangerously close to the conflict that started almost a year ago. Just last week, rocket debris was found again in the north of the country. The attacks against the energy infrastructure in Ukraine also left Moldova without power.
Moldova – POLITICO shows – must perform a delicate dance: on the one hand, to remain faithful to its pro-Western and pro-EU trajectory, on the other hand, not to aggravate the relationship with Russia to the point where Moscow could use . military force.
Russia has repeatedly warned the Republic of Moldova about military cooperation with the West, considering that the former Soviet state is in its sphere of influence.
However, Maia Sandu rejects any interpretation that Moldova’s move to strengthen its defense – either by increasing its military capabilities or by establishing closer relations with other allies – is provocative in nature, saying that Russia, not Ukraine or Moldova, is the aggressor.
“Moldova is a peaceful country. It is not Moldova that started a war against its neighbors,” she said in the interview for POLITICO. “Russian propaganda managed to convince a part of the population that neutrality means that you don’t have to invest in your defense sector, that neutrality means that you do nothing and have no ability to defend yourself, which is wrong,” the president pointed out . from Chisinau.
Maia Sandu, a former World Bank official, was elected in 2020 on an anti-corruption platform. In June, the country will host the second meeting of the European Political Community, a European-level forum of EU and non-EU countries that held its first summit in Prague last year. Moldova, which, under the pro-Western government of Maia Sandu, has pledged to join the EU, received candidate country status in June. While accession talks are ongoing, the prospect of accession is still several years away. However, since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the EU has increased its support for the country, allocating hundreds of millions of euros to Moldova in the form of loans and grants. And to facilitate the reduction of Moldova’s dependence on Russian gas, the country’s electricity network was synchronized with that of the EU last year – a new important step in the direction of the West, POLITICO maintains.
Overall, Maia Sandu says her country remains very “vulnerable” and is subject to Russian hybrid warfare through propaganda and disinformation. But for now, they face no military threats. The reason? The courage and resilience of Ukrainians. “Thanks to the courage and resilience of the Ukrainians, we are not facing military threats for now,” she says. “We are facing a series of risks, but none of them compares to the situation in Ukraine and, also, to the price Ukrainians are paying,” the President of the Republic of Moldova emphasized.