With a population of just 2.6 million and one of the smallest economies in Europe, Moldova barely registers by most European Union metrics. Yet the small former Soviet republic wedged between EU member Romania and war-ravaged Ukraine has drawn outsized attention from the continent’s powerful democracies and Vladimir Putin’s Russia. After decades under the Kremlin’s influence, Moldova started a concerted shift toward the EU in 2020. That has touched a nerve with pro-Russian forces looking to pull it back into Moscow’s sphere of influence.
In a move aimed at loosening the Kremlin’s grip on the country, Moldova’s pro-European government held a referendum on EU membership on Oct. 20, opening a path for joining the bloc. Moldova voted yes by a margin of just 50.5%. Moldova said Russian pumped about €100 million ($108 million) into the efforts to influence the first round of a presidential election and the referendum on the EU that were held on the same day. The US State Department said: “Russia did everything in its power to disrupt the election and referendum to undermine Moldova’s democracy.” Moscow has denied the allegations of meddling and called on Moldova’s government to present evidence of it happening.
Source link : https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-10-24/why-moldova-wants-to-move-away-from-russia-and-join-eu-instead
Author :
Publish date : 2024-10-24 15:44:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
