Moldovan deputy premier meets leadership of Swiss Development Agency

Chisinau, 23 June /MOLDPRES/ - Deputy Prime Minister Gheorghe Balan today had a meeting with Director General of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), Ambassador Manuel Sager and SDC Deputy Director, Ambassador Elisabeth von Capeller, the Bureau for Reintegration has reported.   

The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation is part of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of Switzerland and is represented by the Swiss Cooperation Office/Representation of the Embassy of Switzerland.

The today’s meeting was occasioned by an anniversary event marked on these days  by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation – 15 years of work in Moldova.

On this occasion, the deputy prime minister thanked the government of Switzerland for the valuable financial, technical and humanitarian assistance offered to Moldova through the Chisinau-based Swiss Cooperation office. Balan stressed the importance of the about 50 projects implemented on both banks of Dniester, with a considerable impact on restoration of the social institutions and developing the sectors of health, water and sanitation, migration and development.  

Referring to the social and economic situation in the Transnistrian region, Gheorghe Balan noted that the government knew the problems of the residents from the eastern districts. He also said the cabinet had committed to provide the needed support to extend the single spaces in the region, carry out programmes with positive impact on the society, promote interaction between the business communities from the two banks of Dniester and the trade with EU, as well as through constant promotion of confidence building measures.   

The deputy prime minister highlighted the creation by the government of territorial subdivisions of Moldova’s public authorities in terms of administration, to provide public services to the residents from the Transnistrian region free of charge (registrar’s officers and officers for population’s documentation, territorial social insurances houses, public health centres, etc.)

At the same time, Gheorghe Balan highly appreciated the constructive dialogue with international development partners and foreign donors, as well as the importance of implementing investment projects on both banks of Dniester.  

The officials also discussed prospects for extending the Moldovan-Swiss cooperation, including on the eastern districts of Moldova.

(Editor M. Jantovan)