MOSCOW, 24 Nov. Accession of Georgia and Moldova joining the European Union without Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Transnistria is an unlikely option, since the main rule of the EU is to admit countries without territorial conflicts, this opinion was expressed by Nikolai Topornin, associate professor of the Department of European Law at MGIMO University of the Russian Foreign Ministry.
Earlier, the press secretary of the foreign policy service of the European Union, Peter Stano, told Izvestia that the EU is considering the possibility of accepting Moldova and Georgia into its membership without Transnistria, Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
“Of course, such an option exists purely theoretically, but the main rule is that countries that have no territorial claims and no territorial conflicts are accepted into the EU. At the moment, as we know, (for Georgia) there is the problem of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. For Moldova there is problem of Transnistria,” Topornin said in a commentary.
At the same time, he suggested that it is unlikely that territorial issues can be easily resolved, which is why this will become an insurmountable barrier on the way to the European Union. In order for the path to the EU to be open, the expert believes, Georgia and Moldova could make political decisions by abandoning territorial issues.
«But it is difficult to imagine that Georgia will abandon South Ossetia and Abkhazia, and Moldova will abandon Transnistria. But we can also imagine another situation. For example, Transnistria may be offered a new formula of government — such as a confederation. If the relationship is resolved , then Pridnestrovie can become part of the European Union,” the expert noted.
According to him, such options should not be discounted, because the process of accession of Georgia and Moldova may take a long time and more than one decade, during which a lot can change: for example, uncontrolled territories will agree to return to jurisdiction.
At the same time, he considers it impossible for Moldova and Georgia to join the EU in parts: first they, and then the territories of Transnistria, Abkhazia and South Ossetia not under their control as independent and unrecognized entities.