Romanian leader vows to push Moldova's EU bid

(CHISINAU) - Romanian President Traian Basescu pledged Thursday to help impoverished Moldova join the EU amid a thaw in ties between the east European neighbours since a pro-Western government came to power in Chisinau last year.

"The new Moldovan leadership has convinced the European Union of its serious intentions to become a member, and Romania will be a trusted partner toward realizing this goal," Basescu said on a visit to the Moldovan capital.

Relations between Bucharest and Chisinau soured last year after Moldova's Communist government accused Romania of inciting violent riots following a disputed parliamentary election in April.

EU member Romania denied stoking the unrest, which broke out after Moldova's liberal pro-European opposition accused the ruling Communists of using fraud to win the election.

Basescu's visit was the first by a Romanian leader since a coalition of four liberal parties won a slim majority in new parliamentary elections in July, ending eight years of Communist rule under then-president Vladimir Voronin.

The Romanian president raised a cheer in a speech to university students, saying: "You are born European and Europe is your place!"

He vowed to ease visa rules for Moldovans and open four new consulates in the ex-Soviet country to speed up applications for citizenship in Romania, which joined the EU in 2007.

At the start of his trip on Wednesday, Basescu signed a deal for a loan worth 100 million euros (140 million dollars) for infrastructure projects in Moldova over four years.

He also visited a cemetery for Romanian soldiers who fought alongside Nazi Germany against the Soviet Union during World War II.

Moldova was part of Romania until 1940, when it was forcibly integrated into the Soviet Union as part of a Nazi-Soviet pact. The two countries have close cultural links and both use Romanian as their official language.

But Moldova's former Communist government, which had emphasized strong ties with Moscow, had strained relations with Bucharest, often accusing it of attempts to annex parts of Moldovan territory.