The Head of the EU Delegation in Chisinau assures that there are for now no signs that the war in Ukraine will spread to the Republic of Moldova. Janis Mazeiks said the whole European community is interested in strengthening the economy and democracy in the Republic of Moldova. He avoided saying if the Republic of Moldova would be granted the candidate country status in the EU’s June summit, noting the decision is political and is taken by each member state apart, IPN reports.
The ambassador stated that there are for now no signs showing eventual dangers to Moldova’s security. Referring to the statement that Moldova will receive more military support, which was made in Chisinau by the President of the European Council, Janis Mazeiks said it goes to the equipment needed by the National Army for ordinary activities.
“We do not see an immediate danger and a danger of escalation of the war into the Republic of Moldova. For us, it is resilience that is important. If the economy is strong, you can resist. If democracy is strong, you can also resist. We offer assistance in these areas. Charles Michel said that we offer support in the security sector. It should be very clear – this support means things needed by the armed forces, which is equipment for ordinary functioning. We also offer support to fight disinformation,” Janis Mazeiks stated in the program “Black Box” on TV8 channel.
The diplomat also said that the war in Ukraine made the three EU associated countries to submit applications for EU memberships. Even if the European Parliament recommended the European institutions to offer the candidate status to the Republic of Moldova, the decision is political and is taken by each EU member state independently.
“The European Council will come together in June. The decision as to the granting of the candidate country status is a political one. We see that the war had an influence on the political decisions. At the beginning of the year, none of the three countries thought about filing an application. Regrettably, the war in Ukraine was a factor that triggered this process. It is hard to anticipate how things will develop,” stated the EU ambassador.
The Republic of Moldova submitted an application for EU membership on March 3 after similar applications were filed by Ukraine and Georgia. The Republic of Moldova already transmitted the completed accession questionnaire that enables to determine the readiness to join the EU. A final decision on the granting of the candidates country status is taken by a unanimous vote by the European Council.
