Republic of Moldova at 35 Years of Independence

Thirty-five years after the proclamation of Independence, President Maia Sandu believes that the Republic of Moldova has reasons to value the progress achieved, especially the fact that it has managed to preserve its freedom and democracy. The head of state says however that the country must remain vigilant and strengthen its resilience in the face of ongoing challenges.


“I think we need to appreciate what we have achieved in these 35 years. I believe that the most important thing we have achieved is that we did not allow the Republic of Moldova to be taken over by an authoritarian regime and today we can speak freely, people are not arrested off the street and sent to prison, we still have this freedom. Even if there are many shortcomings and problems, our human dignity is respected. At the same time, I think we need to understand that we must be resilient, to become more resilient. We have demonstrated resilience in the last few elections, but we cannot relax, because things are not getting simpler,” said Maia Sandu.


The President says that in the coming years, one of the key objectives for the Republic of Moldova must be strengthening security and keeping the country within the space of the free world. In her view, European and Euro-Atlantic integration is the safest path to achieving this goal.


“I want the Republic of Moldova to be safe, to strengthen its security and, at the same time, to remain part of the free world, not to fall into the hands of the aggressor and not to be used by the aggressor. The safest road to this objective is Euro-Atlantic integration,” the President noted.


Maia Sandu emphasized that European integration can provide the Republic of Moldova with more resources and instruments to strengthen its economy and defense capabilities.


“It is not a magic solution; it does not mean that if we integrate into the EU all risks will disappear, only that it will be easier for us, as a small country, to cope with these problems and we will nevertheless have more resources to develop, including to develop our defense capacity, as well as the economy so that we can be stronger,” Maia Sandu concluded.


On August 27, the Republic of Moldova will mark 35 years of Independence. In 1991, Parliament adopted the Declaration of Independence, through which the Republic of Moldova asserted its right to freely decide its own destiny and to build its own future as a sovereign state. Today, the Republic of Moldova is a candidate country for accession to the European Union, and the authorities have set the goal of preparing the country for EU membership by 2030.