East or West? Moldova tormented

Moldova, a small country torn between Russia and Europe. Sunday they were thousands of Moldovan citizens to wait in front of their embassy in Moscow to vote. The democratic exercise has turned to a pro-Russian event featuring a warning against European integration.

"No one is against the European Union, but I think that the EU is not going to do us good. There will simply be a war in Ukraine. People will kill and destroy. And we do not need this war, "said a Moldovan protester.

A strong argument for those who want to return to the fold of Russia. Moldova is a former Soviet republic of 3.5 million people, of which 78% are Romanian speakers. The country also has a large Russian-speaking minority.

Now there is one year, Moldova and other former Soviet republics signed in Vilnius, the Association Agreement with the European Union. A text that Ukraine - then headed by Viktor Yanukovych - had finally refused to sign. Ratified in early July by Chisinau, this agreement has angered Moscow. A strong reaction is not unlike that Russia had had with regard to Ukraine in the summer of 2013, which resulted in a temporary ban on the import of meat and sausage in from Moldova, on the grounds of "violations of health standards" in the country. The introduction also, for Moscow, from import duties for certain Moldovan goods, including wine, meat, vegetables, fruits and grains. Or Moldova is very dependent on Russia for its energy supplies and for its agricultural exports.

"The wine industry has taken a hit and now it affects food processing plants, not to mention fruit and vegetable suppliers. They face big losses that may be even more important over time, "said Elena Gorelova, Deputy Director of the Moldovan Centre for Strategic Studies and reforms.

It was in 1991 that Moldova declared its independence. Three years later (1994), Moldovans refused by referendum their unification with Romania. But already in 1990, Transnistria, separatist region of Moldova to strong Russian-speaking minority, was, meanwhile, declared its independence.

This strip of land on the border between Moldova and Ukraine, attached by Stalin to Moldova, has been recognized by any state, but it has the support of Moscow. In 2006, its residents voted for a union with Russia.