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Majority of Moldovan citizens against joining NATO, poll reveals

The poll was conducted among 1,189 people from 88 localities

© Jonathan Ernst/Pool Photo via AP

CHISINAU, September 23. /TASS/. The majority of Moldovan citizens is against the country's accession to NATO, a poll held by Moldova's Association of Sociologists and Demographers informs.

"45.8% of those polled are against joining the alliance, while 23% support it. 13.2% noted that they would not take part in a referendum on this issue, 13.6% were undecided. The other 4.3% do not know what NATO is and were unable to answer the question," the poll results stated.

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The poll was conducted from September 11 to September 20 among 1,189 people from 88 localities. The margin of error reached 3%. Residents of the unrecognized Transnistria did not participate in the poll.

Moldova’s constitution proclaims the country’s neutrality, however, since 1994, the republic has been cooperating with NATO under an individual partnership plan. In December 2017, a bureau on relations with the alliance was opened in Chisinau; however, Moldovan President Igor Dodon refused to approve this decision. According to him, the republic must pursue international guarantees of its neutrality, which would help resolve the Transnistria issue.

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