Last week, Moldova's President Maia Sandu announced she would vote in favor of merging with neighboring Romania if a referendum on the issue were to take place. On 19/1, the Moldovan government also announced it was taking steps to complete its withdrawal from the Russia-led Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned on 20/1 that Moldova's state foundations would be damaged if it merged with Romania, a member state of the European Union (EU) and NATO.

"We are committed to maintaining normal relations with Moldova. We are not giving the Moldovan authorities any pretext for confrontational actions, instigated by the EU", Lavrov said.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow on 14/1. *Photo: AFP*

The Kremlin also expressed regret over Moldova's departure from the CIS. However, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov added that Russia was not surprised by this move, as Moldova had effectively ceased participating in CIS activities for quite some time. According to Reuters, Moldova has ceased its obligations to the CIS since 2023.

Moldova was once part of Romania between World War I and World War II. It later became part of the Soviet Union and gained independence in 1991.

Moldova has approximately 2.4 million people, with a majority speaking Romanian and a minority speaking Russian. Moldova aimed to join the EU by 2023, but currently faces internal disagreements and pressure from Russia.

Approximately 1.5 million Moldovans hold Romanian citizenship. Recent polls indicate that only about one-third of Moldovans support unification with Romania.

Ngoc Anh (According to Reuters, TASS, Romania Journal)