Moldova cannot have great expectations of the Riga EaP Summit, said invitees to the talk show “Place for dialogue” produced by the public station Radio Moldova, IPN reports.

Lina Grau, expert of the Foreign Policy Association, considers Moldova missed the chance to achieve success at the Riga Summit. “The expectation was that Moldova will file an application for obtaining the status of accession candidate. Now the EU will modify its strategy towards the Eastern Partnership. Moldova’s train following the European course derailed. It happened after the parliamentary elections of 2014. The parties that declared themselves pro-European didn’t form a ruling alliance. They formed a minority government pursuing hidden goals,” she stated.

Journalist Ion Terguta also considers that Moldova missed the chance offered by the Riga Summit although it would have been easier for it to negotiate the accession plan than for Ukraine. “Moldova is a small country and has fewer areas that would be subject for negotiation. We could have gone faster than Ukraine. We do not have the ecology-related problem faced by Ukraine, with Chernobyl. We do not have heavy industry. Agriculture would be the most difficult sector for us,” he said.

According to Terguta, now Moldova’s chance is to enter the EU through the back door, by joining with Romania. But this chance is almost impossible to be put into practice owing to the division of society. “It is hard to say. It depends on the people’s option. But these do not have a common view. Half of Moldova’s population is oriented to the East. I think it is more a psychological comfort for these people who got used that the state looks after them with them doing nothing. For most of Moldova’s people to orient themselves to the West, Moldova should develop the entrepreneurial spirit,” stated Ion Terguta.