Moldova

Abstract

The Republic of Moldova gained its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. The Soviet period left the country burdened with an insolvent economy, centralized political rule, and social instability. In the early 1990s, Moldova was further weakened by the territorial disputes with the separatist movements led by the Gagauz people in the South and the pro-Russian population in Transnistria (Waters 2003; Vahl and Emerson 2004).29 Secessionist challenges contributed to Moldova’s deep economic crisis in the 1990s with the ‘disintegration of the country, the loss of a considerable part of energy resources and border control’ (Gotişan 2006: 146).