The Republic of Moldova is Ukraine’s most vulnerable neighbour,
\nthe Romanian foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu stated after that country’s border
\nhad been crossed by hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian nationals fleeing their
\ncountry invaded by Russian troops.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
Created
\non some of the eastern Romanian territories annexed by the Soviet Union in 1940,
\nfollowing an ultimatum, and independent from Moscow since 1991, the Republic of
\nMoldova shared the same disastrous fate with Ukraine and Russia, behind the
\nIron Curtain, for over half a century. According to the latest census, dating
\nback to 2014, apart from ethnic Romanians (some of them self-identified as
\nMoldovans), who account for roughly 80% of the population, Moldova is also home
\nto some 180,000 Ukrainians (6.5% of the population) and 110,000 ethnic Russians
\n(4%). <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
Since
\nthe start of the war in Ukraine, strange blasts and grenade attacks have
\nfuelled fears that the conflict might spill over into the east of Moldova,
\nwhere the pro-Russian breakaway region of Transnistria has been out of Chi\u015fin\u0103u’s
\ncontrol for 3 decades, following an intervention of the Russian Army on the
\nside of the rebels.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
All
\nthese have further deepened the tensions in a Moldovan society already divided between
\npro-Europeans and pro-Russians. The authorities banned the display of Russian
\nmilitarist symbols, such as the ribbon of St. George and the letters Z and V.
\nThe pro-Russian, communist and socialist opposition however disregarded the regulation
\nand on Monday they celebrated the 9 May 1945 victory of the Soviet Union against
\nNazi Germany. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
Amid
\nall this, the less than 3-million strong Republic of Moldova, confirmed in
\nrelevant surveys as the poorest European country, is grappling with a constant
\ninflow of Ukrainian refugees, at the largest rate per capita in Europe. The United
\nNations commended Moldova on its efforts, and secretary general Antonio Guterres voiced the
\norganisation’s support for the authorities during a visit to Chi\u015fin\u0103u. He thanked
\nthe hosts for their generosity and solidarity, and described Moldova’s actions
\nas a model of compassion. Guterres emphasised that any violation of Moldova’s
\nterritorial integrity is also a violation of international law, condemned by
\nthe UN. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
PM Natalia Gavrili\u0163\u0103 said in turn that her
\ngovernment was waiting for the funding offered by the UN to support the
\nrefugees to reach Chi\u015fin\u0103u as soon as possible. The Moldovan government chief
\nalso said that, in the context of the war in Ukraine, Moldova’s defence system
\nis on alert, to prevent the situation in the country from destabilising. (A.M.P.)<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The UN appreciates the involvement of the Rep. of Moldova in helping refugees from neighbouring Ukraine<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":105,"featured_media":92181,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[37738],"tags":[29944,29130,29237,29310,35603,28905,29724,29295],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-92180","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-today-in-the-news","tag-aid","tag-moldova","tag-refugees","tag-russia","tag-soviet","tag-ukraine","tag-un","tag-visit"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n