Today, Parliament hosted a roundtable dedicated to the International Day of Neutrality. The event has already become a tradition, being organized for the fourth consecutive year under the auspices of Deputy Speaker Vlad Batrîncea. This year’s theme was: “Permanent neutrality, deneutralization or militarization: In which direction is the Republic of Moldova heading?” The roundtable brought together parliamentary faction leaders, MPs, politicians, representatives of academia, the media, and civil society. Government representatives were also invited but demonstratively ignored the meeting, TRIBUNA reports.

PSRM leader Igor Dodon stated: “This boycott, along with the latest statements of the country’s leadership, shows that Maia Sandu and PAS act in the same vein as the globalists in Brussels, who are intensifying the militarization of the European Union, hoping to unleash a new armed conflict involving the Russian Federation.”

The roundtable featured an open dialogue on Moldova’s permanent neutrality status—a subject that has recently sparked heated debate, particularly in the political sphere, as most of the population has already formed a clear opinion. In the context of a complicated geopolitical situation, marked by military conflict near Moldova’s borders, citizens advocate neutrality as a tool for preventing conflicts, expressing their opposition to war.

Deputy Speaker Vlad Batrîncea emphasized: “Decisions on issues as important as neutrality, sovereignty, and language designation must be taken by the people of the Republic of Moldova, as provided by the Constitution. As sociological surveys show, the majority of citizens identify as Moldovans, wish to live in a peaceful, independent, and neutral Moldova, and the will of the people must not be ignored.”

Participants also highlighted that permanent neutrality is closely linked to the issue of national reintegration. Dodon added: “Neutrality is a fundamental pillar of Moldova’s statehood, and reintegration must become a national idea—the key concept for consolidating Moldovan society, not European integration, which is supported only by part of the population. A reintegrated Moldova will be able to strengthen its statehood and become significantly stronger, economically and otherwise. At the same time, the loss of neutrality, which Maia Sandu and PAS are de facto and tacitly promoting, will make reintegration impossible and lead to the loss of Moldova’s statehood.”

The discussion demonstrated the complexity and multi-layered nature of maintaining and developing permanent neutrality, underlining that “citizens’ opinions are far from those of the authorities.” Speakers stressed the importance of dialogue and active engagement across society on this issue.