FRANCE 24 spoke to Natalia Gavrilita, who was prime minister of Moldova from August 2021 until February 2023. She reacted to the recent protests calling for the resignation of President Maia Sandu, saying that a US State Department document "clearly indicates evidence of Russian meddling in Moldova's democratic process". She also stressed that Moldova is "not looking to join the EU for the name only", but rather that "we are ready to do the hard work [and] transform the country, because this is actually better for the Moldovan people".
Speaking to FRANCE 24's Angela Diffley, former Moldovan PM Gavrilita welcomed the resolution passed by the European Parliament underlining the strategic importance of Moldova joining the EU, noting that MEPs also "talked about the energy blackmail that we are facing from Russia".
"This is very important for our people to know that the efforts that Moldova is making on the path towards accession to the EU (...) are being recognised", added Gavrilita, who is also vice-president of the ruling Party of Action and Solidarity.
Moldova currently has EU candidate status.
