On August 18, EU Foreign Affairs Chief Kaja Kallas welcomed the inclusion of eight non-EU countries, most of which are candidate countries, to the EU sanctions imposed against the Republic of Belarus for supporting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, according to europalibera.org.
“Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, and Ukraine have expressed their commitment to the sanctions adopted by the EU in July,” reads a statement from the head of the European External Action Service.
Sanctions against Belarus—which, among other things, expand the list of goods that cannot be exported to the country because they could be used for military purposes—were adopted on July 23.
A day later, the EU also adopted sanctions against Iran for persecuting its own citizens. The non-EU European countries that supported these measures are the same as those that supported the sanctions against Belarus, plus Moldova.
Why Iran—yes, but Belarus—no?
Moldova, like all EU candidate countries, has committed to aligning its foreign and security policies with those of the 27-nation bloc. This means organizing relations with other international organizations and third countries—both commercially and politically—in accordance with the EU’s official position toward them.
However, in the case of Moldova, as with other candidate countries, the EU requires that this alignment be complete and fully operational by the time of accession. Moldova and Ukraine hope to join the EU within this decade.
When asked by Radio Free Europe why Moldova is not among the countries that have joined the bloc’s sanctions against Belarus, the Moldovan Ministry of Foreign Affairs replied that the country does not yet comply with all of the EU’s key decisions in this area.
In the past, Moldovan authorities have repeatedly stated that Chisinau does not want to harm its trade relations with Belarus, which it considers important.
According to statistics, Moldova exports $70–80 million worth of goods to Belarus annually, a relatively stable figure, while imports, estimated at nearly $150 million in 2021, are projected to decline to $50 million by 2025.
Moldova mainly exports agricultural products to Belarus, such as fruits, vegetables, and corn, wine, and other alcoholic beverages, while it imports agricultural machinery, dairy products, public transportation vehicles, pharmaceuticals, timber, and cigarettes.
Joint economic projects include the assembly of Belarusian trolleybuses in Chisinau and tractors in Gagauzia.
As a rule, the imposition of economic sanctions reduces trade relations between countries to a minimum.
For example, in 2021, Estonia traded with Belarus to the tune of $250 million annually, which is nearly identical to the volume of trade between Moldova and Belarus. After the war in Ukraine began, Estonia (an EU member) joined Western sanctions against Minsk, and trade relations declined “significantly,” according to an assessment by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tallinn.
Statements—yes, sanctions—no
While Moldova’s relations with Belarus remain intact at the commercial level and are not overshadowed by any sanctions, at the political level they are “aligned” with European policy.
Chisinau has repeatedly condemned, alongside the Europeans, various undemocratic measures taken by the “authoritarian” government in Minsk, as well as its support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Bilateral visits and contacts have practically ceased following the political rise of Maia Sandu and the PAS party, being reduced to meetings between the leader of the Socialists, former President Igor Dodon, and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.
The PAS government signed specific regional projects in support of the Belarusian opposition.
In October 2023, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, the leader of the Belarusian opposition in exile, was warmly received in Chisinau by Maia Sandu and stated that her country could in the future draw inspiration from Moldova’s example regarding European integration.
Recently, the Moldovan Ministry of Foreign Affairs warned Moldovans about possible difficulties when entering Belarus (as well as Russia) amid tensions caused by the hostilities in Ukraine.
Don’t “shoot yourself in the foot”
“Moldova has already, figuratively speaking, ‘shot itself in the foot’ by almost completely severing economic ties with Russia,” said Mikhail Poisik, Ph.D. in Economics, in an interview with Logos Press.
If another traditional market—Belarus—is added to this, it would be like amputating a limb, the economist believes.
According to the Moldovan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Belarus consistently ranks 10th or 11th among Moldova’s key trading partners in terms of import and export volumes. Voluntarily giving up such a partner would deal a serious blow to the country’s economy.
Perhaps this case should be noted as unique: our country did not, as usual, fall in “lock and step”, but instead considered its own interests. And that is, in a way, quite unusual.
