By Stratfor Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin on Wednesday said that talk of issuing Romanian passports to Moldovan citizens was "the best and clearest proof" that Romania wants to annex Moldova.

Voronin was referring to Romanian President Traian Basescu's remarks to the parliament in Bucharest, where he said he had asked for a legal change that would "speed up the process of regaining citizenship for those Romanians and their families who lost it abusively." Such a change essentially would give Romanian citizenship to Moldovans who have at least one Romanian grandparent -- a criterion that would apply to up to 1 million people, or a quarter of Moldova's population.

For Romania, Moldova presents both strategic value and security liabilities. Its strategic value lies in...