Romanian President Traian Basescu said on Tuesday that Moldova may become part of Romania again in the next 25 years.
Romania and Moldova sealed a long-awaited border treaty on November 8, setting the stage for closer cooperation between the two neighbors.
"In the next 25 years Romania and Moldova could be united again," Basescu said in an article published on Monday in Romanian newspaper Romania Libera.
"EU borders will extend to the Dnestr River, and the democratic development in the region will be an incentive for other countries, such as Ukraine, to join the EU," the president said. "The Balkans will become part of the EU and NATO within 25 years."
The Romanian-Moldovan border treaty deals with a number of technical issues, such as the marking of the 681 km border, joint construction projects, joint use of water resources, infrastructure and communication installations, as well as border maintenance and surveillance.
Moldova was part of Romania until it was annexed by the Soviet Union in 1940. It declared independence in 1991 after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
The ex-Soviet state was the only neighboring country with which Bucharest had not signed such an agreement. Romania hopes to join 25 other European nations in the visa-free Schengen area in March 2011, when its border with Moldova will also become part of the EU external border.
CHISINAU, November 30 (RIA Novosti)
