Historically, the
Principality of Moldavia was a vassal of the
Kingdom of Poland and later,
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Due to this, a small but active
Polish community existed in Moldova. Both were later occupied by the
Russian Empire and the
Soviet Union at various times.
Polish Community in Moldova served as the
second President of Moldova and carries a transcribed version of the Polish surname
Łuczyński. According to the
1989 Soviet Census, there were 4,739 Poles in the
Moldavian SSR. The
Moldovan Census of 2004 reported 2,383 Poles. The latter census did not include data collected in
Transnistria, which for centuries was within the boundaries of the
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and was subject to significant Polish colonisation. The
2004 Census in Transnistria reported 2% of the population (about 1,100) to be Poles. Some publications of Polonia activists and Polish diplomats mention numbers of more than 20,000 Poles in Moldova, — numbers significantly exceeding that of self-identified Poles in the census. Some authors include in their estimates people of Polish descent, while others assume people of
Catholic faith (in a predominantly
Eastern Orthodox country) are most probably of Polish descent; and this may include, e.g. Ukrainians with ties to Poland in their ancestry. As a consequence of the Russian and Soviet policies towards Polish culture, only a small percentage of Poles in Moldova today speak Polish.
Modern relations meets with Polish Prime Minister
Mateusz Morawiecki in Warsaw, 8 April 2022 Poland has always been a vocal supporter for Moldova's integration and membership to the
European Union, which Poland is a member of. Poland has been well-aware with political marginalisation of Moldova with the situation of
Transnistria and Poland has officially announced it won't recognise Transnistria as a separate nation. Poland is one of Moldova's ten main trading partners. In 2019, Poland was the eighth largest source of imports and the sixth largest export destination for Moldova. In 2020, following the outbreak of the
COVID-19 pandemic in Moldova, Poland donated medical aid and equipment, incl.
oxygen concentrators, to various hospitals in Moldova, also via the Polish community in Moldova. In October 2021, during a gas crisis, Moldova purchased one million cubic meters of natural gas from Poland. This was Moldova's first gas purchase from a country other than
Russia. The
Warsaw Institute, a Polish
think tank, maintains a
Romania Monitor to explain the main course of political, economical and social developments in
Romania and Moldova. == Resident diplomatic missions ==