Historian Anatol Taranu stated on the RLIVE TV program “Teritoria Svobodi” that no investor will bring money into Moldova if security risks exist. The analyst argued that narratives about Moldova’s neutrality — a neutrality that the Russian Federation has violated since 1992 — cause many of the country’s economic problems. When asked why the authorities in Chisinau avoid talking about NATO, Taranu explained that only about 25% of voters support cooperation with the North Atlantic Alliance, and politicians fear losing their electorate if they promote this idea.
Taranu urged the government to use its mandate to explain to citizens the benefits of cooperating with NATO. He recalled that Ukraine also held a neutrality status, but Russia ignored it and violated international agreements it had signed.
He pointed out that, through the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, Russia, the United States, and the United Kingdom committed to protect Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity in exchange for Ukraine giving up its entire nuclear arsenal to Russia. According to him, if Ukraine had not given up its nuclear weapons, it would today be the world’s third-largest nuclear-armed state, and Russia might not have dared to launch the 2022 invasion.
Taranu also argued that Moldova could follow the example of the Baltic states, which joined NATO and the EU and obtained guaranteed security.
He emphasized that, despite NATO’s current challenges, no other military-political alliance in the world can guarantee security for its member states. He highlighted that, after joining NATO and the EU, the Baltic states increased their GDP several times — by 500–600%.
Expert Tatiana Cojocari added during the program that Moldova must take advantage of the current context and strengthen its resilience so that the country no longer remains vulnerable to hybrid attacks and destabilization attempts orchestrated by Russia.