Maia Sandu

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has congratulated Moldova's pro-Western president, Maia Sandu, on her re-election, saying Greece stands with her country as it moves forward on its European Union path.

Moldova's pro-EU incumbent Maia Sandu on Sunday won a tense presidential runoff, beating her rival backed by a pro-Russian party in what she described as a "lesson in democracy."

The election in the ex-Soviet republic that lies sandwiched between war-torn Ukraine and the European Union has been overshadowed by allegations of meddling by Moscow.

In a win for pro-EU forces in Moldova, incumbent President Maia Sandu defeated Alexandr Stoianoglo in the November 3 presidential runoff, securing a second term. Sandu achieved a roughly 54% to 45% lead, with nearly all ballots counted.

A referendum on Moldova joining the EU passed with a razor-thin majority on Monday as pro-Brussels President Maia Sandu blamed the outcome on foreign meddling in a veiled reference to Russia, which denied the accusations.

The Kremlin called on Sandu to "prove" election interference in the ex-Soviet republic bordering war-torn Ukraine and alleged "anomalies" in Moldova's vote count.

Moldova narrowly voted in favor of advancing EU membership talks, according to early results on Monday, in a significant development for President Maia Sandu. Sandu had sought overwhelming support for closer EU integration, but the vote passed with only a slim majority of 50.24%, based on returns from 98.74% of polling stations.

Moldovan President Maia Sandu has accused foreign interference of attempting to manipulate the country's presidential election and referendum on European integration, describing it as an "unprecedented" attack. In her statement, Sandu claimed that criminal groups, collaborating with foreign entities hostile to Moldova, attempted to buy 300,000 votes.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock stated that supporting Ukraine is key to ensuring the stability of neighboring Moldova. Speaking at a conference addressing concerns about Russian interference in the region, Baerbock emphasized that Moldova could be the next target if Ukraine were to fall.

Russia is attempting to divide the Moldovan people by manipulating various ethnic regions, including those with Bulgarian populations. James Rubin, the US Special Envoy and Coordinator of the Center for Global Engagement at the State Department, revealed this in an interview with Club Z.

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.