CHISINAU, June 1. /TASS/. Moldova will not give up the breakaway territories on the eastern bank of the Dniester River as it integrates into the European Union, Moldovan President Maia Sandu said on Thursday, following a meeting of the European Political Community.
"We are not giving up the Transnistria region. We are working on both tracks," she told reporters.
According to the president, Moldova - after it implements the EU’s recommendations to improve living conditions - will gain appeal for Transnistria residents, and that could pave the way for a reunification.
Earlier on Thursday, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell also said that the Transnistria problem would not prevent Moldova, which became a candidate for EU membership in 2022, from joining. He cited Cyprus, which gained EU membership despite having a territorial dispute. Moldova could do the same, Borrell said.
Transnistria was established on September 2, 1990 on the territory of the eastern bank of the Dniester River, which is dominated by Russian-speaking people. It opposed the actions of radical politicians in Moldova who demanded the republic's exit from the USSR and its unification with Romania. In 1992, after an unsuccessful attempt by Chisinau to resolve the problem by force and the ensuing armed conflict, the Moldovan government lost control over the eastern bank area.