Biden Says U.S. Supports Moldova's Sovereignty, Independence

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden has reiterated Washington's support for Moldova's independence and statehood.

Biden made the statement on May 21 in Romania, where he arrived the previous day.

The vice president, speaking in Bucharest after talks with Prime Minister Victor Ponta, said "Romania and the United States stand together in supporting Moldova's sovereignty and independence."

Moldova shares borders with both NATO member Romania and with Ukraine and has had a decades-old dispute with its pro-Russian region of Transdniester, which broke away from Chisinau in 1990.

Moldovan forces and Transdniester fought a short war in 1992 that ended with a cease-fire agreement after Russian troops intervened on the side of the separatists.

Some 1,400 Russian troops remain in Transdniester guarding Soviet-era arms depots.