Controversy over ethnic and linguistic identity in Moldova

Moldova's Foreign Ministry has denied Russian claims that an exhibition of two train carriages, recalling three waves of deportations of the local population during Soviet times in the 1940s and 1950s, is evidence of  "Russophobia ".

Personal bellongings and photos of people who the Soviets deported from Moldova to Siberian gulags. Photo: Moldovan Government Facebook

One out of every four Moldavans now has Romanian citizenship, and the proportion could rise by the end of 2021 to a third of the total population, according to official statistics.

The number of Moldovans with Romanian citizenship has increased steadily over the last 20 years, and has reached 642,149 people out of a total of 2.7 million inhabitants.

The Romanian government has set up a Romania-Moldova mass media consultative board in order to create a joint media space in the two countries, spread EU values and counter Russian influence.

"The board's mission is to spread European norms to Moldova and explore the opportunities for bilateral cooperation in the mass media," the Romanian Foreign Ministry said.