Prime ministers of Moldova, Ukraine consider bilateral relations excellent

Chisinau, 6 October /MOLDPRES/ – At the joint press conference, Prime Ministers Pavel Filip and Volodimir Groisman appreciated that open and constructive character of bilateral relations, duly confirmed by recent high – level meetings, the government's communication and protocol department has reported.

"Moldova and Ukraine have excellent relations. In fact, these relations are natural for two neighbouring countries, for two states that respect each other and face a range of similar problems," said Prime Minister Pavel Filip.

Also, the Prime Minister of Moldova highlighted the ascendancy of bilateral economic relations, including relaunching of the Moldovan – Ukrainian intergovernmental commission on commercial – economic cooperation. On it, Pavel Filip said that several objectives of the Roadmap signed between the parties were reached. Referring to the Moldovan-Ukrainian priorities for the next period, the Prime Minister of Moldova talked about finalizing the demarcation of the state border, ensuring operation of the Novodnestrovsk hydroelectric complex, as well as solving the problems faced by the car transporters.

"Of course, I paid special attention to everything that concerns the Dniester ecosystem. We agreed to have a joint commission that for taking care of everything happening in the Dniester ecosystem and monitoring it. We agreed that we would agree with the European Commission to provide us with expertise on that," said Pavel Filip.

Another topic discussed by Prime Ministers Pavel Filip and Volodimir Groisman was joint control at state borders. In this regard, officials said new common crossing points would be opened for the benefit of citizens and the business environment. "We give a very clear signal that while some countries are building borders and barriers, Moldova and Ukraine are building bridges and trying to communicate even better," said Pavel Filip.

At his turn, the Prime Minister of Ukraine talked about the importance of deepening the bilateral partnership and providing mutual support, including the European path chosen by Moldova and Ukraine. The head of the Cabinet of Ministers in Kiev also said that Ukraine was open for a constructive bilateral dialogue and has supported Moldova in promoting its modernization measures.

"We pay special attention to the development of our bilateral relations and today we can see that over the recent year we managed to solve a number of exact problems that approach our countries and remove the existing barriers. Thanks to our efforts, the volume of bilateral trade has increased by over 30 per cent. We are friends, neighbours, have a common border and have to do everything because the bilateral collaboration always brings success to our states," said Volodimir Groisman.

The officials also referred to the Transnistrian conflict settlement process and the importance of respecting the rights of national minorities and protecting their interests.