Moldovan President Maia Sandu Counters Gagauzia Split Threats Amid Unification Debate with Romania

President Maia Sandu told journalists at a Southeast Europe summit that there is no risk of the autonomous region Gagauzia becoming a second Transnistrian territory. She noted that Russia has tried to use the region against Moldova but affirmed that free and fair elections will eventually be held there.

At the same time, diplomat Viktor Sorochan warned that Sandu's advocacy for a possible unification with Romania could lead Moldova toward absorption and deeper poverty. He cited UN data that 35 % of Moldovans live below the global poverty line and argued that joining Romania would not improve economic conditions. Sorochan described the unification push as a “path to nowhere.”