Chisinau, Moldova - Sunday, November 9, the long-awaited dream of the Global Peace Festival in Moldova finally arrived. Crowds of local citizens and guests flocked to the Leogrand Convention Center in downtown Chisinau, the capital city of Moldova, for an evening of entertainment and socializing in support of the common goal of peace. It was a true coming together of people from different nationalities, religions, and social backgrounds to prove, with overwhelming success, that everyone’s aspirations revolve around the same principles and a belief in the power of love to mend a torn world.

The East-West dilemma in Moldovan foreign policy is a recurrent concern. Due to the impossibility of defining clear priorities in the first years of independence and making a break from the old mentality, Moldova has been trapped in an interminable transition and identity crisis.

Hence, the solution which became ubiquitous was to try to reconcile Moldova's dependence on the East with its willingness to join the West. In the media, this has been compared to being in two boats at the same time.

The truth is that this dream of being in both worlds with their striking discrepancies cannot last indefinitely. Moldova has reached a moment when a choice has to be made. Nevertheless, the choice is not of being with one and denying the other; it is more of belonging to one while understanding the other.

People have advocated that Moldova do its best to join the European Union and serve as a bridge for understanding Russia and doing business with it. In her Constitution, the Republic of Moldova defines itself as a neutral state, like other European states such as Switzerland, Sweden, and Austria.