Tens of thousands of Moldovans staged a rally in the capital city Chisinau on Sunday to show support for the country joining the European Union, and move away from Russian influence.
European Parliament President Roberta Metsola addressed today the participants at the European Moldova Assembly rally in Chisinau.
President Maia Sandu who is leading a campaign to accelerate Moldova’s campaign to join the EU, called for the pro-EU demonstration.
“The path to join the EU isn’t an easy one, but we’ve chosen it because the EU is the only chance for Moldova to develop, to stop being at the edge of Europe and to stop living under Russian blackmail,” the Moldovan president told the crowd. “We’ve been resilient for over three decades, showing we can be part of the EU, hopefully in the next seven years.”
Moldova gained EU candidate status last year together with its neighbor Ukraine, but the government says Russia is seeking to disrupt progress by stoking instability. Moscow has repeatedly denied interference.
The country of 2.6 million people has reduced its dependence on Russian energy, having switched to other natural gas supplies.
The situation is complicated by the presence of Russian troops in the separatist Transnistria region.
Some pro-Russian parties have organized anti-government protests in recent months.
Authorities deployed an increased security presence to monitor the event. The demonstration and associated security measures, including road closures and movement restrictions, led to localized transport disruptions in the area.
