Moldovan President Maia Sandu says membership in the European Union is the tiny country's best way to protect itself against potential Russian aggression and its current status of neutrality can always be revisited at some point.
Moldova on June 1 is to host the first summit of the 44-member European Political Community -- the brainchild of French President Emmanuel Macron created last year and meant to improve cooperation between the EU and nonmembers, including aspiring countries in the Western Balkans and the Caucasus region.
Moldova was invited together with its eastern neighbor, Ukraine, to open accession negotiations with the 27-member bloc in June last year, just months after Russia's unprovoked invasion of its neighbor.
Moldova, one of Europe's poorest countries, received hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian refugees in the aftermath of the invasion and became increasingly concerned about a possible spillover of the war.
Russia continues to station more than 1,000 troops in Transdniester, a sliver of land between Moldova proper and Ukraine, ostensibly for peacekeeping operations and guarding a huge Soviet-era munitions depot.
SEE ALSO: While Problems Remain, Moldova Makes Big Gains On LGBT Rights"Of course, nothing compares to what is happening in Ukraine, but we see the risks and we do believe that we can save our democracy only as part of the EU," Sandu told the AFP news agency on May 17 while attending a Council of Europe of summit in Iceland.
"We do believe that Russia will continue to be a big source of instability for years to come and we need to protect ourselves," she said.
Like Ukraine, Moldova was part of the former Soviet Union until 1991, when it declared independence.
It fought a short but bloody war in 1992 with its Russian-backed Transdniester region, which had broken away over perceived fears that Chisinau would seek reunification with its western neighbor, Romania.
Moldova shares a common history and language with NATO and EU member Romania, of which it was part until World War II.
Pro-Western Sandu, a former World Bank official educated in the United States, came to power in November 2020 on a pro-reform ticket, replacing Moscow-backed Socialist president Igor Dodon, whose term had been marred by economic doldrums and corruption scandals.
SEE ALSO: Russia's Wagner Group Plotted To Spark Violence In Moldova, U.S. Document Leak ShowsAhead of the European Political Community summit to be hosted at a castle near Chisinau, Sandu has called on all Moldovans to attend a pro-EU rally in the capital on May 20 to reaffirm their overwhelming support for membership.
"We do believe that this [EU membership] is a realistic project for us, and we are looking forward to see this happening as soon as possible," Sandu said.
Since gaining independence, Moldova, where Moscow has been continuously holding considerable sway, has remained neutral.
Sandu said revisiting Chisinau's neutrality status has become an increasingly talked-about topic for the Moldovan public.
"There are discussions in our society about whether neutrality protects us and if at some point people will change their view, of course we will reconsider this decision.
"In the meantime, we are trying to consolidate the defense sector of Moldova and we are counting on our friends," she said in a clear reference to the West.