Bulboaca, Moldova, 1 June 2023 (dpa/MIA) — Close to 50 European leaders are to meet on Thursday in Bulboaca, Moldova, some 20 kilometres away from the Ukrainian border, to discuss the continent’s security, connectivity and energy issues.

The meeting, to which Russia and Belarus were not invited, follows up on last year’s French-led initiative to gather leaders of European Union and non-member countries in Prague to discuss current political challenges.

Leaders are expected to debate the main topics in bigger groups but also have the opportunity to speak about other issues in private or in smaller groups without the restrictions and pomp of state visits and their protocols.

The leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan meeting in Prague, weeks after an attack by Azerbaijan left more than 200 people dead on both sides in a decades-long conflict over the control of the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, was seen a diplomatic success at last year’s summit.

The leaders of two ex-Soviet republics are expected to meet German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron in Moldova to further advance peace efforts.

The location of the summit is highly symbolic as the village of Bulboaca is in the immediate vicinity of the border with war-torn Ukraine and Moldova’s breakaway region Transnistria where Russian soldiers have been stationed since the 1990s.

Moldova was granted EU candidate status together with Ukraine almost one year ago and has received substantive economic and humanitarian support from the bloc since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Moldova's pro-European government has in recent months accused Russia of deliberately trying to destabilize the country.

EU top diplomat Josep Borrell in Chisinau on Wednesday launched a civilian mission to support Moldova against cyberattacks and wider efforts to foment unrest in the country.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen previously pledged additional support.

The summit is the biggest political event ever hosted in Moldova, according to the government, posing a significant logistical challenge to the country which is one of the poorest in Europe and has a population of around 2.6 million.

"The event is a resolute reaffirmation of our unwavering dedication to peace, a strong condemnation of Russia’s invasion, continued solidarity with Ukraine, and a display of support to Moldova," said Moldovan President Maia Sandu ahead of the meeting.