When Ukrainian officials opted for drawing closer to Moscow by refusing to sign association and free trade agreements and thus forfeiting their EU aspirations at the Vilnius summit last autumn, some analysts saw in Moldova and Georgia\u2019s signing Association Agreements a consolation prize for EU leaders. Although Ukraine is the most important of the three former Soviet republics on the geopolitical and demographic map, the pro-Western Governments in Tbilisi and Chisinau did not give in to Russia\u2019s pressure, nor did they show any sign of discouragement at Ukraine\u2019s move closer to Moscow.<\/p>\n
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The fact that they signed Association Agreements with the European Union shows that Western values continue to have a strong appeal for Eastern countries. The efforts and courage of the two countries at the edge of the former Soviet empire were quickly recognized overseas. On Monday, US president Barack Obama met with Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili in Washington, whom he assured of America\u2019s unwavering support for Georgia\u2019s European aspirations.<\/p>\n
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The US president also expressed his country\u2019s full support for Georgia\u2019s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders. Political pundits see the statement as an overt reference to the two de facto independent regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, where thousands of Russian military are currently deployed. Moscow officially recognized their independence following the armed conflict with Georgia of August 2008, which triggered a rift in American-Russian relations.<\/p>\n
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Within days of Garibashvili\u2019s visit, Moldovan Prime Minister Iurie Leanca is also expected to arrive in Washington. The Moldovan official will meet with US vice-president Joe Biden, a meeting which will reportedly \u201cserve as an opportunity to affirm the United States\u2019 strong support for Moldova\u2019s democratic development as it charts its own political and economic future\u201d. Moldova too is confronted with pro-Russian separatism in the autonomous regions of Transdniestr and Gagauzia. Joe Biden visited Chisinau in March 2011 as part of his European tour.<\/p>\n
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In December 2013, right after the Vilnius summit, US Secretary of State John Kerry came to Chisinau to confirm the United States\u2019 support for Moldova\u2019s European path. Sources within the US Congress have told the media that all those contacts are aimed at showing America\u2019s support for Russia\u2019s neighbours, against the backdrop of the political crisis in Ukraine.<\/p>\n
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In the early 2000s analysts said that, building on the successful NATO and EU integration of ex-communist East European states, the United States would launch a second wave of expanding democracy to ex-soviet states. 10 years on, after countless efforts and huge sacrifices, the project is gradually starting to take shape.<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Prime Ministers of Georgia and the Republic of Moldova are paying official visits to Washington.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":105,"featured_media":51653,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[37738],"tags":[],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-41598","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-today-in-the-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n