Photo: Maia Sandu (pictured right) and Ursula von der Leyen
Moldova has signed a security and defense partnership agreement with the European Union, becoming the first country to enter into such an agreement with the bloc, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said, Reuters reports .
Led by pro-European President Maia Sandu, Moldova hopes to join the European Union by 2030. The country has strongly condemned Russia's full-scale invasion of neighboring Ukraine.
Moldovan Prime Minister Dorin Recean said on the social platform X that joining the EU will be “the best mechanism for ensuring peace and stability for the citizens of Moldova.”
"Until then, the signing of the Partnership for security and defense between the EU and Moldova will be a step forward, strengthening our peace, security and prosperity,” he wrote.
In March, Sandu signed a defense cooperation agreement with France. The President of Moldova has repeatedly warned that Russia is renewing its efforts to destabilize Moldova and that if President Vladimir Putin is not stopped in Ukraine, he will continue to act in this direction.
The 28-point partnership plan takes into account “increasingly difficult security situation” following Russia's invasion of Ukraine and provides for consultations with the EU on a wide range of issues. Among them are cyber threats, disinformation, counter-terrorism and “strengthening national security, stability and resilience of Moldova in the defense sector.”
It is expected that cooperation will also include border security management, combating human trafficking and organized crime, as well as interaction in international forums.
BAGNET recalls that Moldova gained independence in 1991, when the Soviet Union collapsed. Its relations with Moscow have been deteriorating since the beginning of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Prepared by: Sergei Daga