Moldova is not considering NATO membership due to public opinion
Moldova’s Foreign Minister Mihai Popșoi stated that the prospect of the country joining NATO remains unrealistic at this time. According to him, despite the complex security situation in the region, the majority of Moldovan citizens do not yet support the idea of joining the North Atlantic Alliance.
This was reported by Newmaker.
When asked about the possibility of Moldova moving closer to NATO amid Russian aggression against Ukraine and the unstable situation in the region, Popșoi stated that everything depends on the will of the citizens.
“Joining NATO, as with any other international organization, depends on the will of our citizens. If there is broad support, this can be considered a serious prospect and included on the agenda. In our case, as you know, for various reasons, such support has not existed,” noted the head of the Moldovan Foreign Ministry.
Popșoi acknowledged that he himself is a supporter of NATO and added that civil society and the media should raise this issue more often to “remove the taboo surrounding it.”
“We acknowledge that our politicians avoid this topic. I, however, have always been open about it. For me, the North Atlantic Alliance means security. After university, my first job was at the NATO Center in Chisinau. I am a sincere supporter of everything related to Euro-Atlantic security. You don’t need a PhD to understand that only NATO can provide us with real security guarantees,” he emphasized.
The publication notes that according to the results of the latest poll by the polling firm iData, released in May, 54.5% of Moldovan citizens do not support the idea of the country joining NATO. At the same time, 33.6% of citizens support integration into the North Atlantic Alliance.
Recall that Moldovan President Maia Sandu expressed confidence that the country will be ready to join the European Union by 2030.
The Moldovan authorities have declared the leadership of the Operational Group of Russian Forces (OGRF) in Transnistria persona non grata.
