In an interview with FRANCE 24, Moldovan Foreign Minister Nicu Popescu reacted to the ongoing war in neighbouring Ukraine and the impact on his country. While admitting that "the degree of insecurity in the region is high", Popescu said he saw "no immediate or imminent threat of hostile military action directed against Moldova". He also weighed in on Moldova's EU ambitions, saying "we want to see Moldova in the European Union as a neutral state".
With a population of just over 2 million people, Moldova is Ukraine's smallest neighbour, but it has taken in around 100,000 Ukrainian refugees since the Russian invasion on February 24. While admitting that this been "quite difficult" for Moldova, the foreign minister thanked the EU, UK, US, Canada and Japan for their "amazing" support.
Since 1992, a mainly Russian-speaking region of Moldova called Transnistria has declared itself an independent state, although this is unrecognised even by Russia. It's believed that some 1,500 Russian troops are currently stationed there.
Reacting to recent unclaimed explosions in Transnistria, the Moldovan foreign minister said "we're doing our best to keep the situation calm".
"In our assessment, it's not Ukraine that is behind these bombings. It's interests and people inside Transnistria who are trying to destabilise the situation. They are a minority", he explained.
US intelligence recently claimed that Moscow is planning to create a so-called land bridge of occupied land from eastern Ukraine to Transnistria.
While admitting that "the degree of insecurity in the region is high", Popescu said that "in our assessment (...) there is no immediate or imminent threat of hostile military action directed against Moldova".
Moldova is not a member of the European Union and therefore not part of EU sanctions on Russia. But like in Ukraine, the current government is keen to join the bloc. "Our vision is that we want to see Moldova in the European Union as a neutral state," Popescu told FRANCE 24.
