Romania and Moldova’s European integration

During the official talks held with the Moldovan authorities in Chisinau the Romania Foreign Minister, Titus Corlatean, reiterated Romanias support for Moldovas EU integration.

România Internațional, 20.11.2013, 12:39

Chisinau’s pro-European efforts are supported by Bucharest, which views them as the only viable solution for the future of this former Soviet republic with a majority Romanian-speaking population. In this context, the Romanian Foreign Minister, Titus Corlatean, on Tuesday paid a visit to Chisinau where he met his Moldovan counterpart Natalia Gherman and prime minister Iurie Leanca.

Talks focused on bilateral cooperation, in particular in areas such as energy, infrastructure, education and emergency medical assistance, as well as on concrete steps to support the European integration of the Republic of Moldova. The visit to Chisinau by the Romanian foreign minister comes ahead of the Eastern Partnership Summit to be held in Vilnius on November 28th and 29th where the Republic of Moldova is to initial its association and free trade agreements with the European Union.

Titus Corlatean: “Romania considers the process of Moldova’s political and economic association with the EU as a step forwards towards the country’s future EU integration”.

On the other hand, the Romanian official hailed the efforts of the Moldovan government to liberalise the visa regime for Moldovan citizens in the European Union. The European Commission report and the conclusions recently presented in Brussels regarding the visa waiver were positive, but a political decision is still to be made by the European Council and Parliament, most probably in 2014. The Romanian foreign minister announced that Bucharest intended to hold, with France’s support, a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Chisinau early in 2014, with a view to supporting Moldova’s EU integration.

Foreign Minister Titus Corlatean also had talks in Chisinau with Moldova’s president, Nicolae Timofti, with both officials reiterating the “brotherly” bilateral relationship between the two countries based on the strategic partnership for Moldova’s European integration. As regards the break-away region of Transdniester in the Republic of Moldova, Titus Corlatean reiterated Romania’s support for a political solution that respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Moldova.