Maia Sandu

Opposition parties critical of President Maia Sandu's pro-European stance have joined forces in Moscow, forming a pre-election bloc with ambitions to contest upcoming presidential elections and a pivotal referendum on EU membership.

"We have several proposals for a declaration, we'll see... The only thing I can say is that I will stick to the principles adopted by the National Security Council of the Republic of Serbia two years ago," Vui told the gathered journalists.

TIRANA - Tirana is hosting the first Ukraine-Southeast Europe summit, to also be attended by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.

Albanian PM Edi Rama and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy are expected to discuss the war in Ukraine and its consequences.

There is still no agreement on the text of a declaration to be adopted at the end of the summit, Tanjug learns.

In the capital of Albania, on the occasion of the summit, Ukrainian flags were hung on the central streets, and the sign "Ukraine-Southeastern Europe Summit" was placed on the plateau of the Congress Palace itself.

The informal inner hosted by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to Balkan leaders and high-ranking European officials on Monday, and the visit to Athens of Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy is seen in Greece as a reflection of its desire to serve as a bridge between Europe and the region. 

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis met on Tuesday morning with the President of Moldova, Maia Sandu, with the Greek leader reiterating Greece's support to Moldova's European perspective, government sources said.

The US Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control said on Monday that it has imposed sanctions on seven people with ties to the Russian intelligence services for their involvement in attempts to destabilise democracy and influence elections in Moldova, Ukraine and the Balkan countries.

Moldova is hosting the summit of the European Political Community, EPC, which will be attended on Thursday by 50 European heads of state and government and other high-ranking European officials.

Moldovan President Maia Sandu on Monday announced the launch of legislative initiatives to create an institution to combat Russian propaganda and better protect citizens from manipulation.

Tens of thousands of Moldovans rallied on Sunday to demand European Union membership for their country, whose bid to join the bloc has been accelerated by the war in neighbouring Ukraine.

The former Soviet republic of 2.6 million people applied last year to join the EU and in June 2022 became a candidate country, alongside Ukraine.