Sandu: If We Had a Referendum, I Would Vote for Unification with Romania

In an interview with British journalists, Maia Sandu stated that the geopolitical situation in the region poses serious problems for countries such as Moldova, and that joining the European Union would help protect the country’s sovereignty. According to her, an alternative could be unification with Romania, but at present there is insufficient support for such a move among the public, Radio Moldova reports. In an interview, the head of state recalled the challenges Moldova faces in combating Russian propaganda and Vladimir Putin’s interference in the country’s democratic processes. The president also stressed that Putin’s goal is to control Europe, and that not all Europeans realize the extent of the Kremlin leader’s involvement in the internal affairs of the European Union. Maia Sandu openly stated that she would vote for the unification of the Republic of Moldova with Romania if a referendum were held on the issue. At the same time, she noted that, as president, she is obliged to take into account the real mood of Moldovan society. “If we had a referendum, I would vote for unification with Romania. Look at what is happening around Moldova today, look at what is happening in the world. It is becoming increasingly difficult for a country like Moldova to survive, to exist as a democracy, as a sovereign country. As president of the Republic of Moldova, I understand that there is no majority supporting unification with Romania, but there is a majority that supports accession to the European Union and we are acting to this end. It is a much more realistic goal and it helps us protect our sovereignty,” Maia Sandu said. The head of state also noted that the chance for unification was missed in the early 1990s. “In the late 1980s, there was a national revival movement, and, of course, there were discussions about uniting with Romania, since Moldova had previously been part of Romania. But at that time, we couldn’t know how many people would vote for it, since there was no referendum. However, judging by the number of people who participated in the national revival movement, by the hundreds of thousands who took to the streets, we can say that there would have been support for reunification with Romania,” said Maia Sandu. In the interview, the president talked about how the Romanian language managed to survive during the Soviet period despite the policy of Russification, and also shared memories of her childhood spent in the USSR.