CHISINAU: he leaders of France, Germany and Poland are due in Moldova on Wednesday in a show of support, a day before campaigning starts for next month\u2019s tense parliamentary election amid claims of Russian interference in the pro-EU nation bordering Ukraine.<\/p>\n
French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk will meet Moldova\u2019s President Maia Sandu to celebrate the country\u2019s 34th independence day as she pushes for EU membership.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a show of support by European leaders for Moldova as Russia ramps up its interference activities ahead of the high-stakes elections,\u201d the Moldovan presidency said in a statement to AFP.<\/p>\n
Sandu and her European allies have repeatedly accused Moscow of attempts to destabilize the former Soviet republic that lies between war-torn Ukraine and EU and NATO member Romania.<\/p>\n
A vocal critic of Russia, in particular since the start of its invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Sandu has been steering Moldova through official EU accession talks that started in June 2024.<\/p>\n
The three EU leaders will give a press statement alongside Sandu on Wednesday afternoon, before a dinner.<\/p>\n
They will then give speeches during the official independence day celebrations held on Chisinau\u2019s Independence Square, with a concert concluding the evening.<\/p>\n
Macron, Merz and Tusk want to reaffirm their \u201csupport for Moldova\u2019s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity,\u201d a French presidential adviser told journalists.<\/p>\n
They also want to support Moldova\u2019s \u201cEuropean trajectory.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe cannot ignore the consequences of Russia\u2019s war of aggression against Ukraine, which directly affects Moldova,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cMoldova is threatened by Russia,\u201d he added, referring to Moscow\u2019s \u201cinterference and meddling\u201d and its \u201cplaybook\u201d of \u201cintimidation,\u201d \u201csovereignty obstructions\u201d and \u201cexploitation of separatism.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the east of the country is the pro-Moscow separatist region of Transnistria, where Russian troops are stationed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe visit is really a strong sign of support, and it is a symbolic message to Russia that top European countries care and follow what happens here,\u201d political analyst Valeriu Pasha of the Chisinau-based think tank Watchdog told AFP.<\/p>\n
He added it was the first visit of the so-called Weimar Triangle leaders together in Moldova.<\/p>\n
While Sandu\u2019s PAS party is likely to top parliamentary elections at the end of September, the outcome is hard to predict given the \u201chuge Russian interference in elections, with crazy amounts of money pumped in\u201d amid voter concerns about economic difficulties and high inflation, Pasha said.<\/p>\n
Sandu, re-elected for a second term in 2024, last month accused Russia of \u201cpreparing an unprecedented interference in the September elections\u201d to \u201ccontrol Moldova from the fall.\u201d<\/p>\n
The interference includes vote buying and illicit financing through cryptocurrencies for which \u201c100 million euros\u201d have been earmarked, Sandu has alleged.<\/p>\n
The three EU leaders\u2019 visit comes as the US-led drive for Russia-Ukraine peace talks seems to be stalling.<\/p>\n
Germany and France have both said the ball is now in Russian President Vladimir Putin\u2019s court.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
CHISINAU: he leaders of France, Germany and Poland are due in Moldova on Wednesday in a show of support, a day before campaigning starts for next month\u2019s tense parliamentary election amid claims of Russian interference in the pro-EU nation bordering Ukraine. French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":499353,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-499343","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n