Reykjavik: Moldova wants to join the EU "as soon as possible" to protect itself from a Russian threat and is hoping that a decision will be made to begin talks "in the next months," according to President Maia Sandu in an interview with AFP.

On June 1, the tiny nation of 2.6 million people will host its first significant summit of greater Europe. It is tucked between Romania, an EU neighbour, and war-torn Ukraine.

Moldova will have the chance to hone its credentials as a candidate at that meeting of the European Political Community, a forum established last year that brings together the leaders of all 27 EU nations and 20 of the bloc's neighbours.

Also Read: Imran Khan is called in for questioning by Pakistan's anti-graft organisation

For Sandu, joining the EU is his only defence against becoming the next victim of Russia.

Her nation, a former Soviet republic, already has Transnistria, a breakaway region where Russia has placed a small contingent of troops.

Although nothing compares to what is occurring in Ukraine, she said, "we do believe that the only way we can save our democracy is by being a part of the EU."

On the fringes of a Council of Europe summit in Iceland that ended on Tuesday, Sandu added, "We do believe that Russia will continue to be a big source of instability for the years to come and we need to protect ourselves.

The 50-year-old president, who has been in charge since 2020, accused Russia of instigating a coup in Moldova in order to seize power in February.

She has urged Moldovans, who according to polls are overwhelmingly in favour of joining the EU, to hold a pro-EU rally on Sunday.

Also Read: Arriving in Japan for the G7 summit is Joe Biden

"The Ukraine War rendered everything binary. Therefore, for all of us, it is very clear what the free world and the authoritarian world mean.
The possibility of Ukraine and Moldova joining the EU was suddenly made more certain by Russia's war in the neighbourhood.

Both nations submitted applications to join the bloc last year, and Georgia joined them as candidates in June 2022.

According to Sandu, "We do believe that this is a project that is realistic for us, and we are looking forward to seeing this happen as soon as possible."
Given the lengthy list of requirements candidate countries must satisfy in order to be able to participate alongside other nations in the European single market, membership could take a decade or longer to achieve.

Moldova is small enough to be relatively easily incorporated into the European Union, unlike Ukraine.
 But it must overcome many obstacles, particularly in the fight against corruption, to raise its democratic standards to those of the EU.

Additionally, it needs to address its weak economy, energy security, and the problem of Transnistria, which has 30,000 Russian-supporting citizens.
The international community does not recognise Transnistria, which is located in eastern Moldova. The zone emerged in 1990 following a brief civil war that broke out after the fall of the Soviet Union, and it became a frozen conflict in 1992.

We are attempting to end the conflict peacefully, and we have been pleading with Russia to remove its illegitimately stationed troops, according to Sandu.

In order to resolve the conflict, there must be a geopolitical opportunity.
 The president, who has begun the process of withdrawing her nation from the Commonwealth of Independent States, which is dominated by Russia, continued, "What kind of relations can you have with a regime that kills innocent people in the neighbouring country?"

Only "democratic countries, with countries which respect the territorial integrity of other countries, and with countries which respect the international rules-based system," she said, were welcome to cooperate with Moldova. One of the reasons Russia gave for invading its neighbour was Ukraine's aspiration to one day join NATO. That is not the door Moldova is about to knock on.

Also Read: Leader of the Thai opposition is confident in forming a government

For the time being, Moldova is continuing to maintain its status as a neutral nation, according to Sandu. However, there are debates in our society about whether neutrality safeguards us, and if opinions change in the future, we will undoubtedly revisit this choice. We are relying on our friends as we work to consolidate Moldova's defence industry in the interim.

The other members of the European Political Community are Moldova's main "friends" in this regard. The Chisnau summit on June 1 is significant, according to Sandu, "because we see that we are not alone and that we have many friends."