Conferință de presă susținută de Președinta Republicii Moldova, Maia Sandu, și Președintele Finlandei, Alexander Stubb, la Helsinki

Vizită istorică la Helsinki: Republica Moldova și Finlanda își consolidează cooperarea pentru securitate regională și integrare europeană

Helsinki, Finlanda, 2 octombrie 2026 - Președinta Republicii Moldova, Maia Sandu, a efectuat vineri, 2 octombrie 2026, o vizită oficială la Helsinki, marcând prima deplasare a unui șef de stat moldovean în Finlanda. În cadrul întrevederii cu președintele finlandez, Alexander Stubb, liderii au subliniat angajamentul comun pentru valorile democratice și au discutat pe larg despre securitatea europeană, sprijinul acordat Ucrainei și parcursul ireversibil al Republicii Moldova către aderarea la Uniunea Europeană.

Un subiect central al agendei a fost securitatea regională, afectată profund de războiul din Ucraina. Ambii oficiali au condamnat cu fermitate atacurile rusești și încălcările repetate ale suveranității naționale. În fața amenințărilor hibride și a tentativelor de destabilizare, Finlanda și-a reafirmat sprijinul total pentru parcursul democratic și european al Republicii Moldova.

„Locul Republicii Moldova este în Uniunea Europeană”, a declarat președintele finlandez Alexander Stubb, subliniind importanța momentului politic actual. „Avem multe în comun, iar dialogul nostru se bazează pe valori puternice: credința în democrația liberală, libertate, justiție, egalitate și drepturile omului. Fereastra strategică pentru extindere este deschisă acum și trebuie să o folosim. Admirăm reziliența de care moldovenii dau dovadă în fața influențelor hibride.”

La rândul său, președinta Maia Sandu a evidențiat presiunile masive la care este supusă țara în contextul viitoarelor alegeri naționale și al referendumului pentru aderarea la UE, denunțând atacurile cibernetice și interferențele financiare externe menite să deraieze parcursul european al țării.

„Societatea noastră a rămas fermă sub o presiune constantă. Alegerea noastră de a ne apropia de Europa aduce cu sine necesitatea unor eforturi reale: investiții în apărarea aeriană, modernizarea armatei și o tranziție istorică de la o dependență totală de gazul rusesc la independența energetică”, a afirmat Maia Sandu. Șefa statului a atras atenția asupra gravității situației de la graniță, menționând că dronele rusești au încălcat spațiul aerian al Republicii Moldova de zeci de ori, punând în pericol viața cetățenilor.

Un aspect inedit al discuțiilor a fost paralela făcută între experiența finlandeză și realitățile moldovenești. Maia Sandu a menționat că Republica Moldova are multe de învățat din modelul finlandez de securitate cuprinzătoare și de pregătire a societății civile. Invocând conceptul finlandez „sisu” – care definește determinarea și rezistența în fața dificultăților – președinta a subliniat că moldovenii au demonstrat o forță interioară similară în protejarea păcii și a democrației lor.

De asemenea, liderul de la Chișinău a amintit de semnificația istorică a capitalei finlandeze, evocând deciziile cruciale de extindere a UE luate la Helsinki în decembrie 1999, exprimându-și speranța că Europa va arăta aceeași determinare și astăzi în raport cu Republica Moldova.

Contextul relațiilor bilaterale

Relațiile diplomatice dintre Republica Moldova și Finlanda au intrat într-o nouă etapă de consolidare, bazată pe susținerea reciprocă a statului de drept și a libertății. Finlanda, stat cu o vastă experiență în gestionarea granițelor estice ale Europei și cel mai nou membru NATO, reprezintă un partener strategic esențial pentru Republica Moldova. Dialogul actual subliniază angajamentul țărilor nordice de a sprijini statele din prima linie în contracararea dezinformării, asigurarea independenței energetice și integrarea deplină în structurile europene.

[Alexander Stubb] President Sandu, dear Maia, it's my honor to warmly welcome you here in Finland. I know it's the first official visit by a President of Moldova to Finland. I have a warmly remember visiting Chișinău when I was a Foreign Minister, sometime around 2009, 2008.

Finland and Moldova have much in common, and it's a pleasure to continue to develop our relations even further. That commonality comes from values, a strong belief in liberal democracy, in freedom, justice, equality, human rights, fundamental rights, and the rule of law, which are the cornerstones of international institutions.

During our meeting today, we discussed bilateral relations, European security, hybrid threats and Ukraine, as well as Moldova's EU integration. And on that, I want to stress that Moldova is important for European security. Moldova's place is in the European Union. Moldova belongs to the family of European liberal democracies.

Moldova and its people have demonstrated resilience and a strong commitment to a European future. And Maia, I also admire your personal commitment to this agenda. Finland remains committed to supporting Moldova's journey towards EU membership, sooner rather than later. I think the strategic window is open right now and we should use it.

The resilience of Moldova has shown, the resilience Moldova has shown in countering Russian hybrid influence is something we can all learn from. We also discussed Finland's comprehensive security model, we will continue to do that over lunch, and our experience, of course, with NATO's Partnership for Peace program before we joined the Alliance in 2023.

Moldova has recently been targeted by Russian drone strikes at the Ukrainian-Moldova border crossings. Finland strongly condemns these strikes. We give Moldova strong support and both of us are strong and avid supporters of Ukraine.

We want to see a permanent end to Russia's war of aggression. How the war ends will have a profound effect on European security and will have a direct effect on our European countries. To conclude, thank you very much for your visit, and I'm very much looking forward to strengthening our cooperation.

[Maia Sandu] President Stubb, dear Alexander, thank you very much for your warm welcome and for our conversation today. We discussed our bilateral ties, European security, the war in Ukraine, and Moldova's path towards the EU membership. Our political dialogue is solid and we have much to learn from Finland: your comprehensive security model, your civil preparedness, and the calm that comes from being ready.

That is why I have proposed a structured Moldova-Finland dialogue on resilience. We also want to join Finland and other countries working to bring the most advanced artificial intelligence models under human control. Our partnership is rooted in shared experience. Finland knows from its own history what it means to stand up to an aggressor, defend your identity, and choose where you belong. That gives our relationship real depth.

And it is great to be in Helsinki, which holds a special place in the history of enlargement. Here, in December 1999, EU leaders decided to open accession negotiations with six countries, including our neighbor Romania. They set the principle that still guides the process: each candidate is judged on its own merits. Within a few years, those countries were members and Europe was safer and stronger for it.

We ask Europe for the same determination today. This year Moldova formally began accession negotiations. We are reforming and meeting every condition on merit. We count on Finland's support to take the next steps this autumn.

Our citizens chose this path again and again, in a referendum and in national elections, under enormous pressure. Last year, Russia spent close to 2% of our GDP to interfere in our parliamentary elections. On elections day alone, our Central Electoral Commission faced close to a billion malicious requests in a cyber-attack meant to take our electoral system down.

Our institutions held and Moldovans answered with their votes. That choice matters well beyond our borders. Moldovans kept Russia's proxies out of power and with them, the Kremlin's plan to use our country against Ukraine and the EU. Instead, we remain a stable, friendly neighbor, keeping transport routes open for Ukrainian trade, helping Ukrainians fleeing the war, and supporting accountability for Russia's crimes.

And here, I would like to thank you, Mr. President, for Finland's steadfast military, political, and financial support to Ukraine and for your leadership in the coalition of willing, which Moldova has also joined recently. Ultimately, Ukraine's resistance is what protects Moldova's peace. Even so, the war is reaching our territory.

This year, Russian drones have entered our airspace more than 45 times, eight of them in the past week. Last month, Russia deliberately hit Ukraine's border crossing with Moldova, killing two people. Earlier this year, an attack on a Ukrainian dam polluted the Dniester river, our main source of drinking water. Russia uses drones and lies to intimidate us into abandoning Ukraine and our European choice.

Our answer is to build stronger. We are investing in air defense, modernizing our army, and raising defense spending. We build the capacity to counter information manipulation and cyber-attacks and to protect our elections. Energy is where we have come furthest. We went from 100% dependence on Russia gas to zero, and by the end of this year, renewables will make up to 30% of our installed electricity capacity.

That has taken away Russia's strongest lever against us. But with the Strait of Hormuz closed, energy prices are higher again and our citizens face another hard winter. What keeps us going through energy shocks, a war next door, and a strained economy is our determination to join the EU, a union where countries stand by and protect each other. Finland made this choice in 1995 to anchor its freedom and security in a community of democracies. We are making the same choice today for the same reasons.

Mr. President, Finland knows what it takes to secure a long border on Europe's eastern edge. Moldova's 1,200 kilometers along Ukraine are part of that same edge. Our accession strengthens the security of both Ukraine and the EU. A European Moldova secures Ukraine's southwestern flank and anchors stability on the EU's eastern border. A Moldova under Kremlin control would leave Ukraine more exposed.

So Moldova's resilience matters to all of Europe, and it depends on progress towards the EU. Each step towards EU forward shows our citizens that their choice delivers. Each delay feeds the Kremlin's message that Europe's door will stay closed. Our society has held firm under constant pressure since 2022. To keep holding, people need to see us moving forward.

Enlargement is one of the smartest security investments Europe can make. As you said at the United Nations, Mr. President, small nations need cooperation to survive. For Moldova, that cooperation is EU membership. Dear Alexander, I have learned that Finnish has a word, sisu, for the quiet determination that carries you through the hard times.

Moldovans have shown their own version of it. We are a small country during a serious war, under serious pressure, for a future that is safe, democratic, and European. It means a great deal that Finland is on this road with us. Thank you.