Biden's visit is “Moldova's Moment”

While being the poorest nation in Europe, Moldova is strategically important for the United States, reads an article tiled “Moldova's Moment” and published in the English-language newspaper {The Moscow Times} ahead of the official visit made by United States Vice President Joe Biden to Chisinau last week. “Biden’s visit can send a strong message of support for Moldova’s economic and democratic development and European ambitions. “The visit comes now because Moldova has taken on far greater symbolic significance as one of a handful of Eastern European states concerned about their place among Washington’s competing priorities after Washington’s reset with Moscow”, reads the article. The authors, Mathew Rojansky and Lyndon Allin, think Moldova is a test case for the creation of a fully inclusive Euro-Atlantic security order and, moreover, a potential example of successful post-Soviet political, social and economic reform – a yardstick for the European Union’s willingness to extend the benefits of integration to the full European community . The American international daily newspaper {The Wall Street Journal} published an article on the US vice president's visit to Chisinau which was titled “Moldova Meeting is Next Move in Challenge to Moscow”. “The 41-year-old Mr. Filat is one of Europe's youngest national political leaders and has a daunting job – governing the Continent's poorest state, which has been riven by separatist conflict and has lost many young people, who have left in large numbers to work abroad. “Further complicating matters, diplomats say, is mounting tension between Moldova, which under Mr. Filat has sought to rapidly strengthen ties with the European Union, and the country's former political masters in Moscow”, reads the article. The author concludes that Biden's visit was a riposte to Russia, which Western officials allege has been meddling unduly in the affairs of Moldova.