Support for the Republic of Moldova
Romania reiterates its firm support for the Republic of Moldova
Bogdan Matei, 13.05.2026, 14:00
Created on part of the eastern Romanian territories annexed by Stalin’s Soviet Union following an ultimatum in the summer of 1940, the Republic of Moldova proclaimed its independence from Moscow on August 27, 1991. On the same day, Romania became the first country in the world to recognise the statehood of its new neighbour.
For three and a half decades, Bucharest has been Moldova’s most enthusiastic and consistent supporter, either in the face of hybrid-warfare-type revanchist moves coming from Russia, which seems to have never accepted the loss of its former colonies, or in the small republic’s recent EU accession efforts.
Moldova and Romania need each other in a Europe in which security, stability and development can no longer be viewed separately, the head of Moldova’s Parliament, Igor Grosu said on Tuesday in Bucharest. He had a meeting with president Nicuşor Dan, to discuss regional security and civil infrastructure projects that can be financed under the European Union’s SAFE programme.
Romania’s consistent and unconditional support for the European direction of the Republic of Moldova was also reaffirmed by Romania’s interim PM Ilie Bolojan. The PM emphasised the excellent dynamics of bilateral collaboration, based on the common language, history and culture, as well as on political dialogue and industry-specific cooperation.
Political analysts comment that the attitude towards Moldova, as expressed by the political decision-makers in Bucharest (otherwise increasingly unpopular because of their economic and social policies) is one of the few topics that resonate with Romanian society.
In fact, Germany, Moldova and France lead the ranking of states perceived by Romanians as friendly, with over 70% each, in the most recent survey conducted by INSCOP Research, commissioned by the Informat.ro news platform. Hungary (51%), Ukraine (48%) and Russia (19%) are in the last places.
The sociologist Remus Ştefureac, head of INSCOP Research, notes that the Republic of Moldova is perceived by Romanians as a familiar identity space rather than as a regular foreign country. The level of trust and sympathy for the neighbouring republic is very high, similar to that given to major Western states, which suggests that the relationship goes beyond geopolitical logic and enters the area of cultural and historical ties, he argues.
Last week, another INSCOP survey revealed that almost three quarters (71.9%) of Romanians would vote yes in a referendum on a prospective unification with the Republic of Moldova, while 21.4% would vote against. Also, 70.6% of the respondents said “Moldovan nationals are Romanians of the same language and ethnicity as us, only separated from Romania by recent history”, and only 25.5% of them believe that the inhabitants of the neighbouring republic are a separate nation, with a different language and their own destiny. (AMP)
