Romania and Republic of Moldova in 2010-2021. Geocultural, geoeconomic and geostrategic considerations

Abstract

Romania and the Republic of Moldova established bilateral relations on August 28, 1991, with a rather sinusoidal evolution from 2010 until today. They were decisively influenced not only by the history of neo-Latin ethnic groups in both countries, but also by European Union, NATO, and Russian policies. The article is divided into four parts. The first part analyses the evolution of bilateral relations between the two states from 2010 to 2021, focusing on major agreements reached and official state visits. The second part demonstrates that, according to Samuel Huntington's definition, Romania and the Republic of Moldova are "torn countries," emphasising the cultural support that both Romania and the European Union have provided to the Republic of Moldova over the last decade. The third part starts from the premise that, from a geoeconomic standpoint, Romania, particularly the Republic of Moldova, falls into the category of “weak states” (Francis Fukuyama) and the primary data of economic cooperation and their perspectives are considered. The final part of the article shows that, from a geostrategic point of view, Romania and the Republic of Moldova are “border states” of minor military significance, and NATO and Russia have a decisive influence on their stability.

Keywords

• romania
• republic of moldova
• bilateral relations
• european union
• russia
• nato
• geoculture
• geoeconomy
• geostrategy