It is important that pro-European political forces remain in power in Chisinau and ensure the European course of the Republic of Moldova, said Romanian poltiical commentator Mihai Isac. According to the expert, political consensus should be identified in the Republic of Moldova so that all the parties unite around the European integration idea. In the same connection, the director of the Euro-Atlantic Institute for Building Resilience Radu Burduja said that to improve the Moldovans’ perception of NATO, the authorities should modify their communication strategy, IPN reports.
The Romanian political commentator noted that the European integration of the Republic of Moldova can become irreversible only if all the political forces in Chisinau sign an agreement similar to the Snagov pact, which ensured the European integration of Romania.
“It is important that pro-European political forces remain in Chisinau to implement the European integration till the end. In Romania, all the parties, those from power and those from the opposition, signed an agreement, the Snagov pact, whose objective was to integrate Romania in the Euro-Atlantic organizations. Later, it wasn’t so important which parties came to power, of the right or of the left, as the principal objective remained unchanged. This unity of opinion should be identified in the Republic of Moldova too as the internal political war that is typical also of European democracies should not become an impediment on the European road. If the Republic of Moldova comes closer to the European Union and improves the relations with NATO, the living standards and the safety of the citizens of the Republic of Moldova will be improved because the European space means prosperity, democracy and this thing should be confirmed by most of the citizens of the Republic of Moldova who work in countries of the European Union,” Mihai Isac stated in the program “Parallel 47” on Radio Moldova station.
According to representatives of civil society, the security and prosperity of the Republic of Moldova can be ensured also through efficient cooperation with NATO. To improve the population’s perception of the North Atlantic Alliance, the Moldovan authorities should assume pro-NATO rhetoric and should combat the Russian propaganda, said expert Radu Burduja.
“The population’s perception of NATO has improved. However, it goes to less than 30% of the respondents. The authorities should think how to improve the strategic communication and to break the stereotypes built for years by the Russian propaganda. The media space of the Republic of Moldova has always been dominated by this propaganda. They should also work on the promotion of the image of NATO which does not pursue offensive goals. NATO was founded to protect countries from the expansion of the Soviet Union. NATO today plays exactly the same role,” said the executive director of the Euro-Atlantic Institute for Building Resilience.
According to an opinion poll presented by the Institute for European Policies and Reforms (IPRE), 60.3% of those surveyed said they would vote against Moldova’s entry into NATO in an eventual referendum. Only 28% of the respondents said they want the Republic of Moldova to join the North Atlantic Alliance. The survey was carried out by CBS-AXA during June 13 – 28, 2023 and covered a sample of 1,120 persons. The margin of sampling error was at most 3%.
