PM says Moldova's European path remains unchanged

Chisinau, 18 January /MOLDPRES/ – "The government will not accept any intervention on the Association Agreement with European Union. This agreement is part of our government program; it is one of the strategic pillars on which we operate. The European course of the Republic of Moldova remains unchanged," said Prime Minister Pavel Filip, commenting on the statement made on 17 January 2017 by President Igor Dodon in Moscow on a possible cancellation of the Association Agreement with EU or the need to renegotiate it, the government’s communication and protocol department has reported.  

The prime minister said that such statements would have no practical effect in Chisinau and Association Agreement with EU and had positive effects to citizens. Since it was signed, the European Union liberalized the visa regime for Moldovan citizens, who today circulate freely in 28 states. And just last week Moldova received a new good news, namely the approval of a program of 100 million euros by the European Commission. "Since signing the Association Agreement, the EU gave Moldova over 700 million euros. If people did not feel the full effects of this support, it is not the fault of the European Union, but the authorities in Chisinau, who did not use this money very efficiently," the prime minister said.

The head of the Cabinet of Ministers emphasized that signing of a memorandum with the Eurasian Union, as assumed president Igor Dodon, was just a statement to remain as a political one. It can not be implemented without the Parliament and Government.

Also, Pavel Filip said he did not consider appropriate in a discussion format on EU-Russia-Moldova Association Agreement. "We have a relationship with EU and this is a bilateral relationship and we have another relationship with the Russian Federation, one as bilateral," the prime minister said.

The Prime Minister said he believed in good relations between Moldova and the Russian Federation in unlocking economic relations through constructive dialogue. Pavel Filip said that in 2016, there was achieved substantial progress in the dialogue with the Russian Federation. However, it was prepared an Action Plan, it has come very close to canceling customs duties, dismantling list of producers who have the right to export goods to the Russian market, but also to address the social, cultural and migration.

"We had a very good discussion with President Putin late last year and I was glad to see that yesterday stressed out the need for dialogue with our government, given the limited powers of the President on important topics of foreign policy," concluded Pavel Filip.

(Editor A. Raileanu)