MOSCOW

Moldovan President Maya Sandu on Saturday said that there is a “serious discussion” whether her country should abandon the neutral status and become part of a “larger alliance.”

"Now there is a serious discussion … about our ability to protect ourselves. Will we be able to do it ourselves, or should we become part of a larger alliance," Sandu said in an interview with Politico newspaper.

“And if we come, at some point, to the conclusion as a nation that we need to change neutrality, this should happen through a democratic process,” she added.

Moldova cooperates with NATO within the framework of the Individual Partnership Action Plan. A NATO liaison office was also opened in Chisinau in December 2017.

According to a survey conducted by SmartData center in May 2022, 24.5% of respondents were ready to support Moldova's accession to NATO, while the rest were against or hesitant.