CHISINAU, Moldova—Moldova’s pro-Western president was joined Friday in the capital Chisinau by her counterparts from Romania, Poland, and Ukraine to celebrate the country’s three decades of independence from Soviet rule. Moldova, Europe’s poorest country, sandwiched between Romania and Ukraine, proclaimed its independence from the Soviet Union on Aug. 27, 1991. The anniversary event was held in the Grand National Assembly Square where President Maia Sandu was joined by Romania’s Klaus Iohannis, Poland’s Andrzej Duda, and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Sandu said on Friday that independence has taught Moldova “how heavy the burden of freedom can be.” For years the country of 3.5 million has been plagued by poverty, high-level corruption, and widespread disillusionment, prompting a mass exodus of Moldovan citizens as hundreds of thousands moved abroad seeking better futures. The anniversary comes after a snap parliamentary election on July 11 that saw Moldova’s pro-reform Party of Action and Solidarity, known as …