<p style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">A huge pro-EU rally has taken place in Moldova's capital Chisinau, organized by the country's President Maia Sandu. An estimated 75,000 people turned out to support Moldova's push to join the European Union. Her pro-Western government has accused Russia of stoking tensions by supporting Moldova's pro-Russian opposition Sor party. Moscow denies meddling in the country's affairs.</p>''<p style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"> </p>''<p style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">Ms Sandu told demonstrators her country no longer wanted to be an outlier. She pledged that Moldova would become a European Union member nation by 2030.</p>''<p style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"> </p>''<p style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">Moldova, a former Soviet republic that has a population of about 2.6 million, applied last year to join the EU and in June 2022 became a candidate country, alongside Ukraine.</p>''<p style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"> </p>''<p style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222;">The country, which sits between Ukraine and Romania, is also dependent on Russian gas – something Moscow exploited last year by cutting its supply to Moldova by half.</span></p>