France’s Macron: wants quick EU opinion on Moldova request for membership
PARIS (Reuters) – French President Emmanuel Macron said he wanted the European Union (EU) to give a “quick opinion” to Moldova’s request for membership of the EU, as he hosted a meeting with Moldovan President Maia Sandu in Paris.
Macron added that a risk that the conflict between Ukraine and Russia could spread to other neighbouring countries could not be ruled out.
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Fears have grown that Moldova could be drawn into the conflict in Ukraine, after pro-Russian separatists in Moldova’s Transdniestria region blamed Kyiv for what they said were shootings, explosions and cross-border drone incursions.
Last week, Moldova’s Foreign Minister Nicu Popescu told Reuters there were internal elements in Moldova’s pro-Russian separatist region trying to destabilise the area and stoke tensions, as his country presses ahead with efforts to join the European Union.
(Reporting by Geert de Clercq; Editing by Sudip Kar-Gupta)