Moldova has signed a memorandum of understanding with a group of Western countries to counter Russia's hybrid attacks just days ahead of crucial elections that could cement Chisinau's path toward Euro-Atlantic integration and untether the former Soviet republic from decades of Moscow's influence.
The deal was signed in Chisinau on October 15 by Moldovan Foreign Minister Mihai Popsoi and the foreign ministers of the eight members of the Nordic-Baltic format -- Denmark, Finland, Estonia, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, and Sweden.
The visit comes just days after EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen traveled to Chisinau to voice her support for Moldova's European path.
SEE ALSO: EU Sanctions Pro-Russian Governor, Others For Meddling In MoldovaPopsoi, who is also deputy prime minister, said the memorandum would strengthen Moldova's institutional capabilities in the face of an increasingly aggressive Russian disinformation campaign.
Pro-Western President Maia Sandu runs for a second term on October 20 in an an election that takes place simultaneously with a referendum to decide whether Moldovans want their country to pursue integration into the European Union.
Under the U.S.-educated Sandu, who defeated a Russian-backed incumbent in 2020, Moldova -- a country of 2.5 million wedged between Ukraine and EU and NATO member Romania -- made a radical U-turn toward the West despite Russia's ceaseless attempts to destabilize Sandu's government.
Despite still having Russian troops on the territory of its breakaway Transdniester region, Moldova sided with Ukraine after Russia's unprovoked invasion and opened its border to tens of thousands of Ukrainian refugees.
One of the poorest European countries, Moldova secured EU candidate status in 2022 and opened accession talks with the bloc earlier this year.
Popsoi told the visiting diplomats that their presence in Chisinau sent a "political message" and represented a "clear sign of support for the European aspirations" of Moldova.
The Nordic Eight ministers' trip comes after von der Leyen on October 10 unveiled an economic support plan for Moldova in Chisinau that provides for 1.8 billion euros ($2 billion) worth of investment in Moldova over the next three years.
A strong signal of support also came from the United States, where Senator Ben Cardin, (Democrat-Maryland), chairman of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee, on October 11 urged tech giants Meta and Alphabet to do more on their social media platforms to fight Russia's "malign" involvement in the Moldovan elections.
Following Cardin's open letters, Meta, the owner of Faceboook, said on October 11 that it had removed a network of group accounts targeting Russian-speakers in Moldova ahead of the election and referendum.
On October 15, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) said a 40-member-strong delegation of observers from the OSCE and the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) observers are going to monitor the dual vote in Moldova.