Brussels understands why Chisinau not joining Russia sanctions - EU ambassador

CHISINAU. Feb 3 (Interfax) - Brussels understands Chisinau's position of not joining sanctions on Russia, Head of the European Union Delegation to Moldova Janis Mazeiks said.

Speaking on the TV8 television channel, Mazeiks pointed out that, as a neutral country, Moldova has declared that it will not join the sanctions on Russia, and the European Union treats this position with understanding.

The European Union shares certain values, and the sanctions, among other things, are about defending the values of peace, democracy, freedom, and human rights, which the EU knows Moldova shares as well, Mazeiks said.

Moldova has already done a lot in the context of the situation by admitting refugees and providing humanitarian support, he said.

Asked about Moldova's prospects of integration with the European Union, Mazeiks said he was not in a position to say exactly when Moldova might become an EU member.

The accession process and its duration cannot depend on a single political actor, and it rather depends on when Moldova starts negotiations, as negotiations cannot be finalized without being started, Mazeiks said.

Based on the record of other countries that have joined the EU, such as Lithuania, the process was supported by an overwhelming majority of their populations, and if Moldova secures widespread support from its society and political forces understanding that Moldova's future is in the EU, then this path might be shorter, and if not, it will be longer, he said.

In theory, Moldova might join the EU by 2030, but there is still too much uncertainty for speaking even about an approximate date, he said.

Asked about Moldova's membership of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Mazeiks said the Moldovan leadership itself would have to decide whether the country should remain a CIS member. The EU, where it is seeking to integrate, has no answer to this question now, he said.

None of the countries that have applied for joining the EU was a CIS member, Mazeiks said. Withdrawal from the CIS is a matter of a more distant future for the Moldovan leadership rather than a decision that has to be made now, and it is quite possible that, at some point, Moldova's commitments as a CIS member would be inconsistent with EU requirements, he said.