Cyprus to prioritise Moldova's EU accession as it takes bloc's presidency

NICOSIA, Dec ‌12 - Moldova's bid to join the European Union will be a ‍priority for ‌Cyprus when it takes over the bloc's rotating presidency on January 1, ⁠President Nikos Christodoulides said on Friday, ‌vowing to push for tangible progress in the coming months.

"We will do everything possible in the next six months for substantive, positive results which will bring Moldova closer to ⁠our common objective, joining the EU," Christodoulides said after a meeting with Moldovan President Maia Sandu, who ​is on an official visit to the island.

Moldova applied ‌for EU membership in 2022, shortly ⁠after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and aims to join by 2030.

Staunchly pro-European, Sandu has denounced Russia's war in Ukraine and has accused Moscow of ​trying to destabilise Moldova, an ex-Soviet state that lies between Ukraine and EU member Romania. Russia denies the accusation.

"For us, EU accession is not only a strategic objective, it is the most important national project since our independence," ​Sandu ‍said. "It is a survival strategy ​while an aggressor continues to threaten our sovereignty."

Moving ahead with enlargement would strengthen the EU's eastern frontier and would reinforce the security of Ukraine, Sandu said. "And it prevents malign actors from exploiting our electoral cycles to pull Moldova back into Moscow's orbit," she added.

Sandu's pro-European Party of Action and Solidarity won a ⁠resounding victory over its Russian-leaning rival in a key parliamentary election in September.

The government and its EU partners accused ​Moscow of seeking to influence the vote. The Kremlin denied the accusations of meddling and accused Moldovan authorities of preventing many of its citizens who live in Russia from voting by providing only two ‌polling stations for the large diaspora.

An EU assessment in November praised Moldova's progress on reforms required to join the bloc.

(Writing by Michele KambasEditing by Ros Russell)