“Large Crowds Gather for European Moldova National Assembly Event in Chisinau”

Large crowds have gathered for the European Moldova National Assembly event in Chisinau. Maltese Roberta Metsola, leader of the EU Parliament, guests of the event.

Images circulating on social media show huge crowds in the center of the country’s capital.

– Moldovans must be European not only in terms of values, but also actions. For 34 years they (Russia, editor’s note) have tried to block our future, divide us, keep us in poverty, and blackmail us, Moldovan President Maia Sandu told the audience, according to the Romanian newspaper truth.

For the newspaper, Moldovan police have yet to release an official number of attendances. However, the head of the EU Parliament, Roberta Metsola, writes on Twitter that 70,000 people have turned up.

Prayer to the EU

Moldova submitted an application in March last year on EU membership. President Sandu has stated that she hopes negotiations on incorporation can start within the next few months.

The authorities are according to Politico impatient with the application, and has asked the Union to let Moldova in “as soon as possible” to protect them from Russia.

– We believe the only way to save our democracy is to become part of the EU, Sandu has said in an interview with AFP this week.

The country is Europe’s poorest, and shares a border with Ukraine. Large parts of the country are governed in practice by the breakaway republic of Transnistria, which is a Russian-occupied breakaway republic.

Coup claims

Moldova was part of the Soviet Union, but in recent years has been ruled by pro-European governments.

In February, the country’s president claimed that Russia was planning a coup in Moldova, and the country’s authorities have for months accused Russia of actively destabilizing the country politically.

Since September, Moldova has also been characterized by demonstrations against the country’s pro-European government.

Major uprisings have been organized by Ilan Șor – a high-profile pro-Russian oligarch and opposition politician who is now sanctioned by the United States for his ties to Russia’s authorities.