Moldova’s Officials Preparing Moldova’s Entry into NATO

On November 19 NATO Parliamentary Assembly supported the prospect of Moldova’s membership in NATO and the European Union. “To limit the space for Russian hybrid warfare, the problem of “grey zones” in eastern Europe must be addressed. Leaving eastern European countries in limbo is an invitation for further Russian aggression and tensions with the West. Georgia, Ukraine and Moldova, as well as the Western Balkan countries, should be given a clear membership perspective both in NATO and the EU. Their accession should be based solely on their implementation of membership criteria”, — reads the special report on the assembly website.  Sergei Isaenko, RTA: The NATO Parliamentary Assembly adopts recommendations that are not a priori imperative. In fact, neither Moldova, nor Ukraine with Georgia became closer to the alliance, but the declarations are declarations to demonstrate the position and declare their intentions. On the one hand, one can refer to the neutral status of Moldova and ask a reasonable question how this status relates to this report of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly. We will leave this question on the conscience of Chisinau politicians, since formally they have nothing to do with it. At the same time, it is difficult to imagine that such a document would appear without the knowledge of Moldovan diplomats and members of the country’s leadership. If so, then Chisinau clearly did not hinder its emergence. The situation may be prosaic – Moldovan officials themselves participated in the document development or coordination at least. It turns out that the official representatives of Chisinau are preparing Moldova’s entry into NATO behind the scenes, and the fact of the document’s adoption is a demonstration of support for such aspirations of Chisinau by the countries of the alliance. One day these statements, declarations of intent and other documents in support of Moldova will become a weighty ‘evidence base’, which NATO can use to justify any policy regarding Chisinau – even appearance of alliance troops on the Dniester River opposite the Russian military contingent in Transdniestria, and with a guaranteed increase in tension and other consequences. In any case, the window of opportunity for NATO in the Moldovan sector is only expanding, which means that geopolitical bargaining for Moldova is in full swing.