Moldovan deputy premier meets Austrian ambassador

Chisinau, 15 December /MOLDPRES/ – Deputy Prime Minister Gheorghe Balan today met with Christine Freilinger, Ambassador of Austria in Moldova, which was accompanied by the Embassy Attaché for Labour, Social Affairs and Consumer Protection Stuller Gero, the bureau of reintegration policies’ information and media communication service has reported.

On this occasion, deputy prime minister addressed Mrs Freilinger wishes for every success in the exercise of her mandate, expressing conviction that the recent launch of Austrian business mission in Chisinau, signified a new stage in relations between Moldova and Austria, which would effectively contribute strengthening and diversifying relations between Moldova and Austria.

Gheorghe Balan appreciated the positive dynamics of bilateral contacts, expressing gratitude to the Government of Austria for the assistance given to Moldova through numerous projects in priority areas such as good governance, institutional capacity building, technical vocational professional education, infrastructure etc.

The dialogue focused largely on the Transnistrian issue. The deputy prime minister welcomed the appointment of Ambassador Wolf Dietrich Heim, the Special Representative for the Transnistrian settlement process under the presidency of Austria in OSCE during 2017 and also referred to the situation which is registered in the negotiation process, recent developments in existing platforms for dialogue, dialogue prospects and results. The Ambassador was informed of the taken actions by the Moldovan authorities in order to advance the negotiations, the Government's priorities on the size of the Transnistrian issue, ambitious reforms and commitment to support the people of eastern districts by expanding throughout the entire Moldova’s territory of unique areas, implementation of projects to contribute to economic and social development of the region.

In the same context, the deputy prime minister mentioned the role of international participants involved in the regulatory process and the impact of assistance programs made by development partners on the promotion of confidence-building measures.

At the end of the meeting, Mrs Christine Freilinger assured that Moldova could still count on Austria's support in promoting the started reforms, thanking for consistent dialogue and expressing readiness for future collaboration.

(Editor M. Jantovan)