CHISINAU, Moldova (AP) – Despite protests from Moscow and only partial support among his own people, Moldova’s prime minister says he believes his firm pro-European stance will benefit the country’s relations with both the West and Russia in the long term.
Prime Minister Iurie Leanca says Moldova’s entry Friday into an association agreement with the 28-nation European Union will make it a “more predictable country, which is good for our partners in the West and … in the East.”
In an interview Tuesday with The Associated Press, Leanca called European integration the “fundamental choice” of his government for the poor, former Soviet republic of 4 million sandwiched between much-larger Romania and Ukraine.
He said the tragic developments in Ukraine directly affect Moldova and “its security, its trade, especially with our traditional partners in the East.” Ukraine saw mass protests and its former president toppled after he abruptly pulled out of a similar EU agreement in November.
Leanca said his government had been clear that it intended to move closer to the EU ever since it came to power in 2009, unlike the former government in Ukraine.