BRUSSELS -- European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso has expressed hope that Moldova will be able to decide its geopolitical future without any external pressure.
Chisinau initialed an Association Agreement with the EU in November 2013, with a view to signing it by August, but there are fears that Russia will use both economic and political pressure to force the country to abandon the agreement, just as Armenia and Ukraine have done.
Speaking to reporters in Brussels alongside visiting Romanian President Traian Basescu, Barroso said that he had discussed with Basescu how to create more electricity, rail, and road connections between Moldova and the rest of the EU and noted that EU funds were available for that purpose.
He also underlined that the EU was mobilizing international financial institutions to support these interconnections.
Chisinau initialed an Association Agreement with the EU in November 2013, with a view to signing it by August, but there are fears that Russia will use both economic and political pressure to force the country to abandon the agreement, just as Armenia and Ukraine have done.
Speaking to reporters in Brussels alongside visiting Romanian President Traian Basescu, Barroso said that he had discussed with Basescu how to create more electricity, rail, and road connections between Moldova and the rest of the EU and noted that EU funds were available for that purpose.
He also underlined that the EU was mobilizing international financial institutions to support these interconnections.