Will Moldova impose sanctions against foreigners who threaten its security?

Moldova will consider imposing sanctions against foreign nationals responsible for destabilizing the situation in the country. This was stated by Parliament Speaker Igor Grosu, according to NewsMaker.

Photo: Reuters

“I think that the most effective tool is an investigation by the prosecutor’s office or information collected by the Information and Security Service of the Republic of Moldova and the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Evidence that can be used to go to court and claim that a foreign citizen has committed a crime against our country. If we impose sanctions against a foreign citizen who is not in our country and has no assets here, what effect will it have?” Grosu said, adding that the parliament will still consider imposing sanctions.

“We will discuss how this sanctions regime will help us in parallel with the investigations,” the speaker added.

What is known about the destabilization in Moldova

At the end of April, the EU Council approved a new sanctions regime for the destabilization of Moldova. The sanctions consist of an asset freeze and a ban on the provision of funds for individuals and legal entities, as well as a ban on travel to the EU for individuals.

On May 30, the European Union imposed sanctions on seven people from Moldova for actions it said destabilized and undermined the territorial integrity of the small impoverished country and neighboring Ukraine.

Moldovan President Maia Sandu believes that despite Moscow’s claims that it does not interfere in Moldova’s affairs, Russia is constantly hindering the country’s path to EU membership, Bloomberg reports.

In February, Sandu cited intelligence received from Ukraine saying Russia was trying to overthrow its government.

“Unfortunately Russia will continue to be a source of instability for many years to come,” Sandu said. “We have felt Russia’s attempts to destabilize our country and to undermine our efforts to build strong institutions and strong democratic processes, and that’s why EU integration is so important to us,” she said.

The President also believes that Moldova can join the EU by 2030 together with unrecognized Transnistria, despite the presence of Russian troops in the region.

The head of state believes that economic reforms and the fight against corruption can solve the problem with the occupied region. According to her, this will show people in Transnistria that it is the ties with the EU, not Russia, that will benefit their lives.

“The sooner we increase living standards, the sooner we will have the chance for the reunification,” she said.

Nevertheless, without active counteraction to Russian influence and destabilization attempts, the road to European integration may become longer for Moldovan authorities.