European Council president says EU to stay friend, firm supporter of Moldova

Chisinau, 28 April /MOLDPRES/-President Nicolae Timofti today met President European Council Donald Tusk, the presidential press service has reported.

The sides tackled subjects on the Moldova-EU relations and implementation by the Moldovan authorities of provisions of the Association Agreement with EU.

After the event, Nicolae Timofti made the following press statement:

“Mr.President,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

First of all, I would like to thank Mr. President Tusk for the he honour he makes us by coming to Chisinau in his tenure of President of European Council.

We know Mr. president since he was prime minister of Poland as a true friend of Moldova.

He remains a strong supporter of our country from the perspective of the high position he is holding now.

Today, we had the opportunity to discuss the current stage of the relations with the European Union and implementation of  the Association Agreement by Moldova.

I assured Mr. president that we observe and will observe the commitments we have assumed towards the EU and we will also use the huge political and economic opportunities, this historical document offers us.

The first results of the Agreement’s implementation are already seen, and in the next period, they will become more visible.

I have also told Mr.President how important the EU decision to abolish visas for Moldovans, which entered into force one year ago, was and is.

We agreed that it is further important that Moldova consolidates itself as rule of law state, fortifies the democratic institutions, so that the benefits of European integration should fully belong to citizens.

In this respect, the further support of EU is essential, so that the projects on infrastructure, modernization of public institutions, initiatives for boosting small and middle businesses and others, should successfully be carried out in our country.

Mr. President, thank you again for the support you provide to Moldova.

We further rely on your support for the topics Moldova will promote on the agenda of the dialogue with EU.”

For his part, President of European Council Donald Tusk said that Moldova was a key-partner for EU.

“During my today's meeting with President Nicolae Timofti, we discussed the implementation of the Association Agreement, from which the country’s citizens will benefit. The significant increase in bilateral trade in 2014 is a sign that we are moving in the right direction.

At the same time, the reforms must be boosted, so that they should produce real changes for citizens. We tackled the need to reform judicial system and fighting corruption as two priority sectors.

We also agreed on the necessity to implement immediate reforms in financial sector, in order to overcome the banking crisis. It is very important to regain the confidence of donors and investors, but more importantly, to restore trust of citizens.

My country’s example shows us that it is worth assuming the difficulties of reforms. Presently, Moldova is facing internal problems, because of the uncertainty situation in the region.

We will provide the needed assistance to Moldova, so that it resists challenges from outside and enhances confidence at home. This is a subject we will tackle at the Eastern Partnership Summit due in Riga in the next month.

The last year abolition of visas brought concrete benefits for all Moldovan citizens and represents a concrete example of cooperation between Moldova and EU. Along with President Nicolae Timofti, we agreed to continue the intense EU-Moldova cooperation. The European Union will remain a friend and firm supporter of Moldova."

(Editor A. Raileanu)