Republic of Moldova

Moldovan prosecutors and security officials will probe the alleged funding of pro-Moscow politicians by the Russian FSB intelligence service, aimed at undermining Chisinau’s pro-Western government.

Moldovan President Maia Sandu has welcomed a move by the United States to impose sanctions on several Moldovans and Russians over "systemic corruption" and their efforts to influence elections in Moldova.

Over the past three decades, relations between Gagauzia, an autonomous republic of Moldova, and the central government in Chisinau have been through many ups and downs, and, today, remain tense.

Moldova’s pro-Russian opposition leader called for snap presidential and parliamentary elections on Tuesday (2 August) and told the pro-Western government to go to Moscow to negotiate cheaper natural gas from Russia as prices soar.

The European Union is considering additional military support to Moldova, to cope with the spillover from Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, European Council President Charles Michel said on a visit to Chisinau on Wednesday (4 May).

The United States on Tuesday warned against attempts to “escalate tensions” after a series of blasts in a Russian-backed separatist region of Moldova, which borders Ukraine. While stopping short of backing Kyiv’s contention that Russia was responsible for the incidents in Transnistria, State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters: “We do remain concerned about any potential attempts to escalate tensions.”

The Russian-backed breakaway region re-elected its existing leader, Vadim Krasnoselsky, in a poll that few countries – except Russia – bothered to observe and which Moldova declared illegitimate.

Citizens want the public institutions to work for the public good, not for corrupt interests, and this led to the landslide victory of the pro-European forces in the recent presidential and parliamentary elections in Moldova, the country’s Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita told EURACTIV in an exclusive video interview. 

Moldova’s pro-Western president led the country in celebrating three decades of independence from Soviet rule, vowing to “build a prosperous and free Moldova.”

The main pro-European party won a resounding victory in parliamentary polls last month, strengthening the hand of President Maia Sandu as she pushes to reform Moldova. The snap election — called by Sandu in April to shore up her position against pro-Russia lawmakers blocking reform — saw her centre-right Action and Solidarity (PAS) party take 52.8%of the vote.