International summit to strengthen Moldova: a small country threatened by Putin

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The European Political Community (EPC) will hold its second summit in Moldova on Thursday, following a launch event in Prague in October. The leaders of 47 countries and the EU institutions, including Switzerland, are expected. The forum was founded in response to the Russian offensive war in Ukraine.

A sign from neighboring Ukraine should go out to Russian President Vladimir Putin (70): Hands off Moldova! The former Soviet republic has not only been the target of attacks from Moscow since the war. The leaders meet at Mimi Castle, a winery in Moldova near the capital Chisinau.

Under the motto “Moldova is not alone”, a common European signal must be sent against attempts at Russian influence, which recently threatened to destabilize the country between Ukraine and EU member Romania.

The tiny ex-Soviet republic is one of the least-traveled countries in Europe, grappling with a frozen conflict over a breakaway micro-region and known for its wine industry and Orthodox monasteries. Three things worth knowing about one of the least known countries in Europe.

Little Moldova has 2.6 million inhabitants and is located between Romania and Ukraine. The democratically governed republic roughly corresponds in size and population to the German state of Brandenburg. The official language is Romanian, but Russian is also widely spoken. The Gagauz minority speaks a Turkish language that is considered endangered by Unesco.

The landlocked country was part of the Ottoman Empire for centuries, then came under Russian rule and then became part of Romania. From 1940 to 1991, Moldova was part of the Soviet Union. In recent years, the country has taken a pro-Western turn, enraging Moscow. In 2022, Moldova was granted EU candidate status under pro-European president Maia Sandu (51), who replaced pro-Russian president Igor Dodon (48) in 2020.

Moldova is one of the poorest countries in Europe. According to the World Bank, gross domestic product per capita of $5,230 (4,751 francs) is equivalent to only a third of Romania’s gross domestic product. Many working-age people have emigrated or depend on remittances from abroad, there is little industry and the country has one of the lowest employment rates in Europe – especially among the Roma population.

An exception is wine as an economic sector: with 300 days of sunshine a year, the climate in Moldova is ideal for agriculture and especially for viticulture. Moldova is one of the 20 largest wine producers in the world and exports to more than 70 countries. Yet the country is hardly visited: last year the government registered only 29,000 foreign tourists.

The self-proclaimed Republic of Transnistria is a narrow strip of land on the border with Ukraine that has defected from Moldova since 1990. Since a short civil war that killed about a thousand people, it has its own currency, government and administration. The status of the region is one of the most complex issues facing Moldova.

About 1,500 Russian soldiers are stationed in the region, which still belongs to Moldova under international law but is controlled by pro-Russian separatists. Most people in Transnistria are Russian speakers. Moldova has repeatedly called for the demilitarization of the area, which is not internationally recognized as a separate state. Moscow, in turn, supports the region, in which nearly 400,000 people live, economically and politically. (AFP/jmh)

Source: Blick