The EU Council extended for a year, until October 31, 2025, the sanctions imposed back in 2010 against the leaders of Transnistria, follows from a document published in the official journal of the EU.
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“This decision applies until October 31, 2025. It is subject to regular review,” the document says.
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EU sanctions against the leadership of Transnistria were introduced in September 2010 and are reviewed and extended annually. These restrictions include the freezing of assets in the European Union, as well as a travel ban for individuals.
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Transnistria, where about 60% of the population is Russian and Ukrainian, sought to secede from Moldova even before the collapse of the USSR, fearing annexation to Romania on the wave of nationalism. In 1992, after an unsuccessful attempt by the Moldovan authorities to solve the problem by force, Transnistria became a territory virtually uncontrolled by Chisinau.
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The first round of presidential elections in Moldova took place on October 20. President Maia Sandu, who is running for a second term, received 42.45% of the votes, in second place is a native of Gagauzia, candidate from the Party of Socialists, Alexander Stoianoglo, removed by the Sandu regime from the post of Prosecutor General of Moldova, with 25.98%.
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Both candidates advance to the second round, which is scheduled for November 3. Sandu advocates European integration and orientation towards the West. Stoianoglo believes that Moldova’s relations with the EU should not harm the traditional partnership with Russia and the CIS.
