MOSCOW, August 9. /TASS/. An overwhelming majority of Moldovans do not want their country to unite with Romania, as objective opinion polls show, Russian Foreign Ministry Second European Department Director Yury Pilipson said in an interview with TASS.
"Despite propaganda pressure, the overwhelming majority of Moldova’s residents, as far as we know, do not want to give up either their national identity or their statehood. Contrary to Romanian opinion polls, which allegedly show a growing number of unification supporters, 76.7% of Moldovan citizens surveyed in the most recent population census identified themselves as Moldovans, while only 8% identified as Romanians. This hardly needs any comment," he said.
According to the diplomat, "promoting the subject of unification between the two countries in the media is part of a campaign to shape Moldovan public opinion and create the impression of growing mass support for the so-called unirea, as the unification process is called there."
Moldovan President Maia Sandu earlier set the goal of preparing the country for EU accession by 2030. At the same time, she did not rule out joining the European Union through Moldova’s liquidation by unifying with Romania, saying that she would support such an option if it were put to a referendum.