CHISINAU, 04 March 2022, (TON): Moldovan President Maia Sandu signed a formal application for her country to join the European Union, charting a pro-Western course hastened by Russia’s invasion of neighboring Ukraine.

Sandu’s move comes days after Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy signed a request for immediate EU membership as it battles invading Russian forces.

Moscow is fiercely opposed to the eastern expansion of both the EU and especially of NATO, which it sees as a direct threat to its own national security.

Sandu, the prime minister and the parliamentary speaker all signed the document during a briefing in the capital Chisinau, where pro-Russian and pro-EU politicians have vied for control since Moldova won independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.

Sandu said “it took 30 years for Moldova to reach maturity, but today the country is ready to take responsibility for its own future.”

She said “we want to live in peace, prosperity, be part of the free world. While some decisions take time, others must be made quickly and decisively, and taking advantage of the opportunities that come with a changing world.”

She said “the application will be sent to Brussels in the coming days.”