Through this war, the President of Russia Vladimir Putin managed to push Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova closer to the European Union and to considerably unite the people of Ukraine, said Ukraine’s Ambassador in Chisinau Marko Shevchenko. According to the diplomat, the Russian invasion of Ukraine made the European Union to offer the EU candidate status to Moldova and Ukraine. In times of peace, the two countries wouldn’t have obtained this status so speedily, IPN reports.
The ambassador said that the Russian aggression against Ukraine revealed the barbarous character of the policy pursued by the Kremlin. The countries of the world fully or partially detach themselves from Russia, with Moldova, alongside other ex-Soviet states, choosing a prudent way for gradually terminating the relations with Moscow.
“Except for Belarus, no one supports the war in Ukraine. All the states are looking for alternatives to the relations with Russia. The ex-Soviet states act very prudently and try not to anger Russia, but actively look for partners outside Russia. I refer to Kazakhstan, other republics of Middle Asia, Caucasian countries, Moldova,” Marko Shevchenko sated in the program “Respect Moldova, United for Peace”.
According to the diplomat, by the war of aggression started on February 24, 2022, Russia managed to push Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova to the EU closer than ever. The EU candidate status granted to the two states is an enormous credit of trust and the path to the EU in times of peace would have been much more difficult.
“Both of the countries enjoy openness on the part of the EU, while Vladimir Putin, by starting the war against Ukraine, triggered processes that earlier seemed impossible. Never in the history of Ukraine, 90% of the citizens believed and supported the President, as now. Furthermore, if the war hadn’t existed, the EU wouldn’t have devoted attention to our community and we would have followed the bureaucratic, traditional procedures. That’s why both Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova would have needed much more time to obtain the candidate status. I refer not to the fact that the two states are not prepared to become candidates for EU membership, but to the fact that the European Union applies a very bureaucratic approach in this regard,” stated the Ukrainian diplomat.
On June 23, 2022, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine were granted the EU candidate status, while Georgia had its accession perspective recognized. While in Moldova on a visit on Tuesday, the President of the European Council Charles Michel said the accession negotiations between the EU and the Republic of Moldova could be opened at the end of this year.
