Abstract
Moldova: A Country That Looks for its Path Between East and West at the Crossroad of Dead Ends
Moldova is an ex-Soviet country in the southestern part of Europe between Romania and Ukraine. Historical Moldovia or ‘Kara Bogdan’ in the Ottoman terminology, became a vassal state of the Ottoman Empire in 16th century. As a result of Turkish-Russian War 1806-1812, east Moldovia was annexed to Russia and re-named Bessarabia by the Russian rulers. Moldovans and Romanians share same language and a common cultural heritage. This ‘tiny’ and 'poor' country choosed its path towards the European Union and Romania against opposition of Pro-Russian circles and Transnistrian separatist movement supported by the Russia Federation. In this paper contemporary Moldova’s recent social and political stuation will be examined briefly at the historical background.<
Keywords
Moldovia, Romania, Bogdan, Bessarabia, Transnistria, Gagauz