Moldova's parliament approved a new Western-leaning government with a programme to join the European mainstream on Friday, the last-but-one step to ending months of political stalemate in Europe's poorest nation. Prime Minister Vlad Filat, presenting his government to parliament, said priorities would include fresh talks with Russia and other powers to settle the issue of breakaway Transdniestria and secure the withdrawal of Russian troops there.
Though he set European integration as one of five priorities of his government, Filat said his ex-Soviet country of 4.5 million people, sandwiched between Ukraine and European Union member Romania, would maintain neutrality in foreign policy. This appeared to rule out any future bid for Nato membership - something which would be certain to anger Russia.
But it would continue to press the European Union for an agreement on associated membership, Filat said. "We have set as a task broadening Moldova's circle of friends in the EU in order to enlist their support in solving our problems," he said. "We believe that we are building a democratic Moldova of free people who have a future ahead of them," he said.
Eight years of communist rule in the former Soviet republic ended this month when President Vladimir Voronin stood down after losing a parliamentary election in July to pro-European parties, potentially moving the country away from Russia.
The 53 parliament seats held by the pro-Western coalition was enough on Friday for Filat's 19-member government to be approved in office. But this majority will not be enough for it to elect a president, the final part in Moldova's political jigsaw. Analysts expect the coalition to present communist defector Marian Lupu as president in an election some time next month.
However, this would require the support of at least 61 parliamentary deputies and the pro-Europe coalition may have to rely on doing a deal with members of the communist opposition to get its candidate in power. Russia, the big regional power, has a peacekeeping force of around 1,200 soldiers stationed since 1992 in Transdniestria, a sliver of land in the east populated mainly by Russian speakers.
The territory of 600,000 people broke away in 1990 and the two sides fought a brief war in 1992 after the collapse of Soviet rule. Moldova wants to install an international peacekeeping force in the rebel region of 600,000 people. Russia, Moldova and Transdniestria agreed in March that such a force could replace Russian peacekeepers once a peace deal is reached, but there is no sign of a breakthrough on an accord.
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