Moldova's Socialists Urge EU To Provide Social, Not Military Support To Chisinau

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 04th May, 2022) EU assistance to Moldova should be aimed at improving the standard of living of the country's citizens and supporting its businesses, rather than boosting its military, the Party of Socialists of the Republic of Moldova (PSRM) said on Wednesday.

Earlier in the day, President of the European Council Charles Michel announced that the EU intends to provide additional military equipment to the Moldovan armed forces to strengthen the country's security amid growing tensions on its border with Ukraine.

"The PSRM appreciates the financial support that the European Union has been providing for many years to the Republic of Moldova, especially for business development, creation of new jobs, modernization of infrastructure. We expect that the European support for our country will continue to be focused exclusively on improving the lives of citizens, supporting local businesses, and not on military objectives. Moldova needs peace and development, not weapons and war," the party said in a statement.

Chisinau must do everything possible to ensure that the republic is not drawn into a military conflict, "no matter how much pressure is exerted in this regard by development partners or neighbors," the PSRM added.

Last week, a series of explosions hit the breakaway region of Transnistria, which borders Ukraine. The local authorities declared the highest level of terrorist threat alert.

The Transnistrian investigative authority has initiated a criminal probe into "an act of terrorism committed by a group of people with firearms." Transnistrian President Vadim Krasnoselsky claimed that the traces of the organizers lead to Ukraine, while Moldovan President Maia Sandu insisted that the attempts to escalate the situation in the region are undertaken by violent forces within Transnistria, which intend to drag Moldova into war.

Transnistria, 60% of whose population is Russian and Ukrainian, sought to secede from Moldova even before the collapse of the Soviet Union, fearing that Moldova would integrate with Romania. In 1992, after a failed attempt by the Moldovan authorities to solve the issue by force, Transnistria became a territory not controlled by Chisinau de facto.