Green MP Pekka Haavisto is currently an election observer in Chișinău, the capital of Moldova.
16:04•Updated 16:05
The EU referendum will determine the future of Moldova, says the Green MP and former foreign minister Pekka Haavisto says.
– It’s about whether Moldova will remain between the EU and Russia or under Russia’s sphere of influence, or whether it will join the Western community in the future, Haavisto says.
Moldova will vote on Sunday both in the presidential election and in the referendum on the amendment to the constitution, which would enshrine EU accession in the country’s law as a national goal.
Haavisto is in Chișinău, the capital of Moldova, as an election observer as part of the American team of the National Democratic Institute.
At the beginning of October, the Moldovan police revealed a large Russian operation to influence the election. Russia is suspected of buying votes by sending money to up to 150,000 people in Moldova, where there are well over a million eligible voters.
At the time of the interview, Haavisto had managed to visit a few polling stations. He did not observe any major abuses in them. According to Haavisto, the Russian vote-buying operation may have an impact on the results of the voting.
Between East and West
Moldova applied for EU membership in March 2022, shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine.
According to Haavisto, Russia has influence in Moldova, especially in the autonomous region of Gagauzia and the separatist region of Transnistria.
– Moldova has not been able to organize voting in Transnistria at all. Those who want to vote will come here on the side of the rest of Moldova, says Haavisto.
In addition, according to Haavisto, oligarchs of Russian background have a lot of power in the Moldovan economy.
Haavisto insists that Moldova should not be forgotten when solving Ukraine’s integration with the West.
– It is difficult to think about Ukraine’s joining the EU and later NATO without solutions for Moldova also coming to bring the country closer to the West, says Haavisto.
– From the EU’s point of view, this would increase security throughout Europe.
Regardless of the result of the referendum, Moldova still has a long way to go to full EU membership.
– Moldova is an agriculture-oriented country, and negotiations on agricultural production usually take a long time, says Haavisto.
On the other hand, according to Haavisto, the EU has a desire to advance the expansion to Moldova and the Western Balkans faster than in Ukraine.
– If the countries are not under the influence of the EU and cooperate with the EU, they will easily turn to Russia.
Haavisto estimates that the situation in Transnistria must be resolved before Moldova can join the EU.
– Transnistria is part of Moldova’s internationally recognized borders.