10/11/2025
What an inspiring day at Moldova Defends Democracy in Vienna, Austria!
🇲🇩🇪🇺🇦🇹The Vienna dialogue — focused on countering disinformation and hybrid warfare during Moldova’s parliamentary elections campaign, and on strengthening our country’s long-term resilience — was a resounding success. We were truly humbled by the caliber of conversation in the room, the high level of engagement with the topics discussed, and the genuine interest in understanding the diaspora’s role in defending democratic values, despite the distances that separate us.
💙It was an honor to have in our audience esteemed ambassadors from the US, EU, Georgia, Austria, and Estonia - Thomas M. Buchsbaum, Peter Michalko, and Victor Guzun - as well as senior government officials, leading think-tank analysts, academics, and members of our vibrant diaspora.
🇲🇩This overwhelming interest proves an important point: when we shift the narrative from “helping Moldova” to “learning from Moldova,” the strategic community in Austria and across Europe pays attention.
This success was a collective effort!
Our deepest gratitude goes to our incredible partners:
🔹Moritz Gathmann, Head of the Division for Eastern Europe and Southern Caucasus at the Austrian Ministry for Foreign Affairs, for the foundational support, for facilitating the participation of Moldovan media experts, and for staying with us throughout the entire event - a rare and deeply appreciated gesture at the senior official level. We value Austria’s support for Moldova immensely.
🔹Alexandra Sb/Sabou of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum, for steadfast support over the past three years and for the analytical depth emerging from the EaP Index.
🔹Natalia Corobca at Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Moldova, for supporting the presence of national expertise at the event.
🎙️To our outstanding speakers - Alexandra Sb, Victor Guzun, Natalia Corobca, Pistrinciuc Vadim, Măriuța Nistor, Mihail Sirkeli - thank you for sharing invaluable frontline insights.
🇺🇸We were honored to have the former US Ambassador to Moldova, Her Excellency Pamela Hyde Smith, as our keynote speaker, and we deeply appreciate the welcoming remarks from the 🇲🇩Moldovan Ambassador to Austria, Mrs. Victoria Roșa.
🤝Many thanks to Gabriel Alexandru Andronache for helping us organize this event, and to our volunteers Violetta Odagiu and 📸Andreea, Ciobanu Andrei and Olga, Pamela Cretu — your hard work and dedication were essential.
📱📲Together, we created a space for everyone to learn how Moldova’s successful defense against a €350 million hybrid assault is not only a national achievement but also a powerful case study in democratic resilience for all of Europe.
Thank you to everyone who participated! The Vienna dialogue continues — stay tuned!
Warm greetings from Vienna,
Veronica Cretu and Natalia Cucoș
Co-founders Moldova4EU Diaspora Task Force