Reliable estimates put the number of participants in the November 3 "pro-Europe" rally in Chisinau at more than 60,000. |
Tens of
thousands of Moldovans have gathered in downtown Chisinau for a rally organized
by the country's ruling coalition to highlight public support for further
European integration.
The
demonstration's aims were to signal internal support but also send a message to
Brussels in the weeks ahead of a major EU summit in Vilnius on November 28-29.
Eastern
Partnership states Moldova and Georgia are hoping to initial Association
Agreements with the European Union at the Lithuanian summit, while Ukraine is
expected to sign its Association Agreement.
But Russia,
still a powerful trade partner and political player in the region, has
intensified its efforts to derail those plans for Moldova, as well as for Ukraine
and Georgia.
Armenia,
another Eastern Partnership country reportedly under pressure from Moscow,
recently announced its intention to join a Russian-led Customs Union.
Moldovan Foreign Minister Natalia Gherman and Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration Eugen Carpov at the rally in Chisinau on November 3. |
The
November 3 rally in Chisinau ended with the adoption of a symbolic "Pro
Europe" statement describing "the European option" as "the
only correct one for the future of our country's major national interests and
the only chance to ensure rights, freedom, and prosperity for all [Moldova's]
citizens."
President
Nicolae Timofti told the crowd that Moldovans will "have to work harder to
reach European standards."
"But
we can do this effort, for us and the future generations," Timofti said.
"Moldova belongs to Europe."
Organizers
claimed 100,000 people attended the rally, while other sources put the figure
at between 60,000 and 70,000.
"Being
here sends a clear message that Moldova belongs to Europe," Democratic
Party leader and former acting President Marian Lupu told the crowd. "We
want a European destiny."
Officials
have suggested that Brussels and Chisinau hope to finalize the EU Association
Agreement by next spring.
The Eastern
Partnership also includes Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, and Ukraine.
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