Lithuania is ready to help Moldova ward off Russian pressure, Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis has said during a visit of foreign ministers of the Nordic-Baltic Eight (NB8) to Chișinău.
“Whether that’s energy issues, financial or trade issues, whether [...] support refugees that have been flowing through the border from Ukraine, we are here to help and assist,” Landsbergis said during a news conference on Thursday.
Moldova has been under pressure since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine last year, facing energy challenges and anti-government demonstrations. Chișinău accuses Moscow of fueling tensions in Transnistria, Moldova's breakaway region bordering Ukraine.
“But meanwhile there is another incredibly important process that Moldova is finding itself in – integration into the European Union,” Landsbergis said. “You are embarking on a set of very important affairs that we have not seen your country going through in decades and we are here to assist you with that.”
Moldova was granted EU candidate status along with Ukraine last June.
“We [NB8 countries] will be looking for ways to assist Moldova in a more structured way,” he added.
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