Moldova declared its independence in 1991
after being a part of the Soviet Union for 50 years. A landlocked country in Eastern Europe, Moldova shares cultural
and linguistic ties with its western neighbour Romania, and
maintains strong economic relations with Russia and Ukraine
– its neighbours to the east. As a member of the EU’s Eastern
Partnership, Moldova has made significant steps towards becoming a future EU member state. Progress in this direction
has helped improve the overall human rights situation in the
country, but serious challenges still remain, in particular in
regard to the human rights situation in the breakaway region
of Transnistria and the autonomous Republic of Gagauzia.
A youth looks over his car as he warms up its engine on a winter’s morning in Transnistria. PHOTO: gettyimages