Romania is the main support for the Republic of Moldova, president Maia Sandu says

The president of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu, said during an interview with local news channel Digi24 that Romania is the "main support" for her country and "the shoulder we lean on".

The Moldovan leader also said that the quickest way to unification between Romania and Moldova is through European integration, as polls show "majority support" for it among Moldovan citizens. She also noted that Romania is the main trade partner for Moldova.

In the same interview, Sandu warned that Russia is waging a disinformation campaign against Moldova and Romania.

“Moscow tries to use any pretext to scare, to manipulate public opinion. But we must come with our messages and explain them to the citizens, and you will see that in polls, the number of Moldovans who believe we have a very good relationship with Romania and who appreciate this very good relationship has significantly increased. So, concrete actions, fighting misinformation, are things we must insist on,” she told Digi24.

Moldova worked alongside Romania to combat attempts to destabilize the former, coming up with lists of Russian agents who need to be sanctioned at the European level, the president said. Aside from this, the two countries initiated joint projects in agriculture, infrastructure, and other sectors of the economy.

According to the Moldovan president, Romania has always been the country’s support.

“[During] the pandemic crisis, followed by the energy crisis, we needed help, [and] we came to Bucharest. After that, the war started, and it caused many problems for us. Romania, along with France and Germany, created this support platform for Moldova, where we could discuss all our problems caused by the war and, respectively, receive this help,” Maia Sandu said.

She also stated that roughly one million Moldovan citizens also have Romanian citizenship, including herself. Plus, she noted that about 90% of residents of the Transnistrian region of Moldova, controlled by Russian-backed separatists, hold Moldovan passports.

“Why? Because people, including those from the Transnistrian region, saw where the war was coming from, that the war came from Russia, while the Republic of Moldova ensured this peace. So they understood that peace is on our side. Moreover, the Transnistrian region benefits from the free trade agreement with the European Union, and the trade structure has changed. So, more than half of the exports from this region go to the European Union,” Sandu said.