Moldovan president says Moldova admires Cyprus’s path, believes Moldovans deserve same chance for stability, prosperity, peace – in EU

Moldova admires Cyprus’s path and we believe that Moldovans deserve the same chance for stability, prosperity and peace. For us, accession to the European Union is the most important national project since gaining independence and a survival strategy, in a context in which an aggressor continues to threaten our sovereignty. President Maia Sandu has conveyed a message to this effect, during a joint press conference with President of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulides in Chisinau.

The head of state thanked the Cypriot President for the support provided to our country on its path toward EU accession. She expressed confidence that today’s visit is an opportunity to deepen the bilateral partnership between Moldova and Cyprus – a partnership between two countries that share European values.

“Cyprus holds the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, and Moldova is determined to take steady steps toward the EU during on period. Today we are marking Europe Day in Chisinau, together with our citizens who have voted for Europe in three elections over the last two years and who have defended this choice in the face of unprecedented interference. Moldova celebrates Europe Day with conviction. The European Union is the most successful peace, solidarity and economic development project in modern history. The fact that no EU Member State has gone to war with another Member State is the result of common values, common rules and a shared commitment to peace. Today, the European Union is once again facing an aggressor that threatens the sovereignty of states and the international order. That is why, our joint efforts must be commensurate with these risks. For this, we need the European Union to be stronger, more united and larger,” Maia Sandu said.

The Moldovan president stressed that, at present, the enlargement of the European Union is a strategic response to the threats faced by states.

“Cyprus knows what it means to have its sovereignty threatened and its territorial integrity violated. The country also knows what it means to be part of a strong family. EU membership has strengthened the state’s stability and created space for development, even in a complex regional context. Moldova firmly supports the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Cyprus, as well as its reunification, in accordance with the relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions,” Maia Sandu underlined.

The official noted that Moldova wants to be part of the peace project – the European Union – and is taking concrete actions and implementing important reforms to this end.

“We are working hard: we are investing in energy security, reforming the justice system, strengthening the rule of law, aligning legislation with European standards, bolstering our resilience to hybrid threats and sharing this experience with our European partners. The European Commission confirms our progress. We are ready for the official opening of negotiations by chapters. A stronger, more stable, more democratic Moldova anchored in the European family is also in Europe’s interest, because it will strengthen regional security and consolidate the European Union’s eastern border. On 9 May 1950, Robert Schuman said that Europe would not be built all at once, but through concrete achievements which first create a de facto solidarity. The accession of Moldova to the EU and the steps it is taking in this direction are the expression of those concrete achievements which confirm that the European promise is real for those who work for it,” Maia Sandu remarked.

President of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulides is paying an official visit to Moldova today, at an invitation of the President Maia Sandu. This is the first bilateral visit by a Cypriot President to Moldova, taking place in a symbolic context – Europe Day.

The visit thus reconfirms the partnership between the two states, as well as the support for the country’s European course, in the context in which Cyprus will hold the rotating Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the first half of 2026.

The two heads of state today took in the events dedicated to Europe Day in the Great National Assembly Square, where they addressed citizens at 20:30.

Moldova established diplomatic relations with Cyprus on 21 February 1992. Cyprus has been an EU Member State for 21 years and has a population of around one million residents.