Russia doesn’t pose an imminent military danger to the Republic of Moldova, Minister of Foreign Affairs Mihai Popșoi stated in an interview for the Romanian press. According to the official, Moldova’s European integration by 2030 is a realistic desideratum, while the Transnistrian region can be attracted into the country’s constitutional field by offering it economic advantages. Mihai Popșoi noted that the citizens from the left bank of the Nistru make a difference between a space of peace and prosperity and one of war, IPN reports.
“When it comes to the integration of the region into Moldova’s constitutional field, consensus exists. The Russian Federation also internationally recognized the territorial integrity of the Republic of Moldova. It’s true that we have the problem of the presence of illegal Russian troops. The commitment made by Russia at the 1999Istanbul Summit is not respected. But the citizens there, many of them, understand that the future of the Republic of Moldova is in the European Union, the future of the Republic of Moldova is alongside Romania. The citizens understand where there is prosperity, peace, tranquility and where there is war and there are human rights violations. The citizens discern this. In the current context, we must attract the citizens from the left bank of the Nistru River with economic advantages,” Mihai Popșoi said in an interview for the press in Bucharest.
In the same connection, the minister said that Russia doesn’t pose a military danger to Moldova at present and the priority of the government in Chisinau is to strengthen the defense capabilities and build the resilience of state institutions. “Russia isn’t an imminent threat to Moldova thanks to the enormous effort and sacrifice of our Ukrainian neighbors and friends. In the early days of the invasion, this threat was very real. We will continue to enhance our defense capabilities, in accordance with the possibilities of the budget, and to establish security relationships and partnerships with all our partners. At some point, Russia will recognize the reality and will have to fulfill its international obligations,” stated the Moldovan official.
Mihai Popșoi paid his first official visit to Romania as Minister of Foreign Affairs. In Bucharest, he had meetings with his Romanian counterpart Luminița Odobescu, Romania’s Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, Senate President Nicolae-Ionel Ciucă and Chairman of the Romanian Senate’s Foreign Policy Committee Titus Corlățean.
