U.S. Vice President Joe Biden says the former Soviet republic of Moldova should join NATO when it is ready to _ a move Russia is likely to oppose.Biden made the comment during a visit to Romania, a close ally of Moldova that wants it to join the European Union and NATO.
At a news conference in Bucharest on Thursday, Biden said: "We share the desire that Romania's neighbors, including Moldova, will continue along the path toward democratization and economic reforms and that they will be integrated into the Euro-Atlantic institutions when they are ready." The words "Euro-Atlantic institutions" normally refer to NATO and the European Union.
Pro-Russian Communists held power in Moldova from 2001 to 2009, but lost a national election in July to a new pro-Western alliance that favors market and democratic reforms, and wants to bring Moldova closer to Europe.
Moldova is a member of NATO's Partnership for Peace program and has sent troops to Iraq. Moldova's four pro-Western parties say they want closer ties with NATO but do not intend to apply for membership now.
Russia has strongly opposed the current NATO membership bids of the former Soviet republics of Ukraine and Georgia, both of which border Russia. Moscow would likely oppose such an effort by Moldova, too, even though it does not border Russia.
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