During Cyprus’s upcoming presidency of the Council of the European Union, starting January 1, the priority will be supporting Moldova on its path to EU membership.

This was stated by the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nicos Christodoulides, after a meeting with Moldova’s President Maia Sandu, who is on an official visit to the island. The information is confirmed by Reuters through the Ukrainian agency Ukrinform.

“We will do everything possible over the next six months to achieve substantial positive results that bring Moldova closer to our common goal – EU membership”

– Nicos Christodoulides

Moldova submitted an application for EU membership in 2022, soon after the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and aims to join the EU by 2030. Sandu condemned Russia’s war in Ukraine and accused Moscow of trying to destabilize the country. Russia denies these accusations.

Leaders’ positions and key messages

“For us, joining the EU is not only a strategic goal, it is the most important national project since our independence”

– Maia Sandu

Sandu emphasized that EU enlargement is a matter of Moldova’s survival in facing aggression and threats, and she added that further enlargement would strengthen the EU’s eastern border and enhance Ukraine’s security.

“This is a strategy for survival as long as the aggressor continues to threaten our sovereignty”

– Maia Sandu

She also noted that continuing enlargement would further strengthen regional security and prevent Moldovan electoral cycles from being used to pull the country back into Moscow’s orbit.

“This will also prevent malicious actors from using our electoral cycles to return Moldova to Moscow’s orbit”

– Maia Sandu

The European Commission on November 4 released its annual enlargement package, which assesses Ukraine’s progress and that of other partners over the past 12 months. The document emphasizes that Ukraine has met the conditions for opening Clusters 1 (Foundations), 6 (External Relations) and 2 (Internal Market), and the opening of the remaining three clusters is expected by the end of the year.

In the context of EU enlargement, attention should be paid to the close cooperation between Kyiv and Brussels, as further enlargement and support for neighboring regions remain important for stability and security in Europe.