OPINION: Ukraine-Moldova: Together to Europe

On May 24-26, a representative Ukrainian delegation visited the Republic of Moldova at the invitation of the political party “Action and Solidarity” (PAS), which held its annual conference. The visit turned out to be rich, the atmosphere was friendly, and the range of issues to be discussed was wide.

Moldova is preparing for elections and a referendum on joining the European Union, scheduled for Oct. 20 this year. Both events are decisive for the further fate of Ukraine’s neighbor. Current President Maia Sandu seeks to be re-elected for a second term in order to successfully continue the course towards European integration. While Russia is desperately trying to return Moldova to its sphere of influence. Therefore, Chisinau is preparing for hybrid attacks from Moscow, which will be aimed, in particular, at torpedoing the referendum.

Meetings with the Prime Minister of Moldova Dorin Recan, the Speaker of the Parliament of Moldova Ihor Grosu (special sincere thanks for the assistance), the Deputy Prime Minister, the Minister of Economy Dumitru Alaiba, the Minister of Education and Research Dan Perchun, the Secretary General of PAS and the Secretary General Artur Miya, State Secretary Ana Kalinichi made an extraordinary impression on the government. It can be said without exaggeration that European integration is a real national idea in Moldova, and all state institutions are working hard to implement it.

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There was an exchange of experience in this regard, which will certainly benefit each of the parties. Considerable attention was paid to security issues, because for Moldova the threat of hybrid aggression from Russia is not abstract. A full understanding of the importance of building sustainable communication with civil society as an effective means of countering hostile attacks in the information sphere was recorded.

As a representative of the Odesa region, I was interested in the prospects of deepening economic cooperation, simplifying logistics when crossing the border, stable work of customs, opening new and modernizing existing checkpoints, tripartite cross-border cooperation with our Romanian partners. We have good examples: in particular, the recent opening of the renovated “Reni” checkpoint, where joint Ukrainian-Moldovan control already works. Now it is worth focusing on the full-scale implementation of the “green corridor” initiative between the “Reni” checkpoint on the Ukrainian side, the Moldovan “Djurdjulesti” checkpoint and the Romanian “Galac” checkpoint.

Constructive business communication, however, did not prevent the occurrence of several extremely emotional moments. For example, not everyone knew that the Hero of Ukraine Oleksandr Matsievskyi has ethnic Moldovan roots. The story of the rescue of 300 Ukrainian babies who were evacuated to Moldova after the beginning of Russian aggression deserves a separate series. Due to the stress, most of them were born prematurely, so special equipment had to be collected and purchased urgently. But thanks to the extraordinary actions of the Moldovan authorities and doctors, all the babies were saved.

The general conclusion is as follows: Ukraine and Moldova have a common dream. Together, we will successfully go through the path of European integration and elect the first deputies to the European Parliament in 2029. So, we will work on making this dream a reality.

The views expressed in this opinion article are the author’s and not necessarily those of Kyiv Post.