Moldova's European Integration Process May Take More Than Decade - Foreign Minister

CHISINAU (Sputnik) - The process of Moldova's accession to the European Union may take more than ten years, Moldovan Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Nicolae Popescu said.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the Commission recommended granting Moldova and Ukraine the status of candidates for joining the European Union.

The decision to grant or deny the status of candidates to Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia will be made by the EU heads of state and government at the summit in Brussels on June 23-24, with account for the European Commission's recommendation.

"Our process of joining the EU will last for years, perhaps a decade, perhaps longer. All this time we will continue to work on the reintegration of Transnistria. Efforts on these processes will be made in parallel," Popescu said on the Moldova 1 TV channel.

He said he hopes the country will receive the status of an EU candidate and will be able to take advantage of many benefits, such as canceling roaming with European countries.

Transnistria, 60 percent of whose residents are Russians and Ukrainians, sought secession from Moldova even before the collapse of the Soviet Union, fearing that on the wave of nationalism, Moldova would join Romania. In 1992, after a failed attempt by the Moldovan authorities to solve the problem by force, Transnistria became virtually a territory not controlled by Chisinau.