Romanian Foreign Minister Mihai Popsoi said that he would vote “yes“ in a possible referendum on unification with Romania.
“In the electoral dialogue that we have in meetings with citizens, this question arises very often. And then we must be honest and publicly discuss this perspective to the extent that it can become realistic. This has never happened before, in these 30 years of Moldova's independence“, he told Vocea Basarabiei.
The Moldovan foreign minister added that the dialogue on joining Romania “should no longer be a taboo topic“ and called for a discussion with all citizens. Popsoi acknowledged that with significant public support, the issue could be revisited "more fully" in the near or distant future.
When asked about voting in a possible referendum, Popsoi replied that as a Romanian citizen he could not vote "against". He also reiterated that European integration remained Moldova's strategic priority, in order to "unite in the big European family, including with our brothers across the Prut River". The Prut River is the natural border between Moldova and Romania.
In January, Moldovan President Maia Sandu also said she would vote for unification with Romania in a referendum. "Look at what is happening around Moldova today. Look at what is happening around the world. It is becoming increasingly difficult for a small country like Moldova to survive as a democratic sovereign state and, of course, to resist Russia," she said at the time. Sandu, like Popsoi, also holds Romanian citizenship.
Moldovan Prime Minister Alexandru Munteanu followed Sandu in supporting unification, but with the same caveat. "As a citizen, I would vote for unification with Romania. But as prime minister of Moldova, I am obliged to fulfill the will of the majority of the citizens of our country," he said in January.
In the 19th century, Moldova was part of the Russian Empire as the Bessarabian Governorate. After the Revolution, in 1918, Bessarabia declared independence and united with Romania. The Soviet Union, like some other countries, did not recognize Romania's sovereignty over this territory. In 1940, it became the Moldavian SSR.