Moldovan foreign affairs minister has meeting with Bulgarian counterpart

Chisinau, 8 March /MOLDPRES/ - Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Affairs and European Integration Minister Nicu Popescu had a meeting with Foreign Affairs Minister of Bulgaria Teodora Genchovska. 

According to the Foreign Affairs and European Integration Ministry’s (MAEIE), the meeting took place in the context of a working visit by the Bulgarian official to Moldova. The visit is meant to confirm the advanced character of the Moldovan-Bulgarian bilateral relations and the common wish of the countries for strengthening the European values, peace and security in the region.      

„Our countries firmly condemned the military aggression against Ukraine, with the today’s discussions focused on regional security subjects. We speak out for ceasing this unjustified war and we continue to call to dialogue and to finding peaceful solutions, the only ways to put an end to the aggression against Ukraine and its citizens,’’ Deputy PM Nicu Popescu said.    

The Moldovan diplomacy head stressed that, in its capacity of neutral state, Moldova continued to provide assistance to the people who fled the war. At the same time, the foreign affairs minister informed his counterpart that, since the starting of the war in Ukraine, Moldova had received 230,000 Ukrainian refugees, of whom more than 100,000 (including over 40,000 minors) remained in Moldova.    

At the meeting, Nicu Popescu reiterated the call on the need to mobilize an international financial assistance for diminishing the economic pressure on Moldova. In the context, the Moldovan official thanked the government of Bulgaria for openness to back Moldova in this humanitarian effort, both bilaterally and as a European Union member state. In the near future, the Sofia cabinet will consider possibility to supplement the number of buses which are to carry refugees.     

„I tackled with my Bulgarian counterpart also the submission of our application on accession to the European Union, as our aspirations and choice of the country and of the citizens being the irreversible integration into the European space during all these years. We want affiliation with the European Union, a Union of Peace, Solidarity and Freedom. We are interested in the as soon as possible Moldova’s joining the family of the European countries; yet, we understand that we have many home works to do. We will work to edify a stronger, more resilient country, which is to become a pole of stability and development in the region and a reliable partner,’’ Minister Nicu Popescu said.      

The Moldovan deputy PM highlighted the support of Bulgaria for the advancement in the process of approval of the text of the Agenda of Association to EU, which will establish the priorities of implementation of the Association Agreement will 2027. Also, the official said that Moldova relied on Bulgaria’s support for adopting the European Commission’s proposal on providing Moldova with a new programme of macro-financial assistance for 2022-2024 worth 150 million euros.    

„I noted that the presence of a Bulgarian community in Moldova for centuries had had a significant impact on the consolidation of our democracy, inter-ethnic dialogue and of the traditional friendship between the two states and nations. For the benefit of both countries’ citizens, we agreed on advancing on the subject of signing an agreement, which is to see the cutting of the roaming taxes,’’ the Moldovan diplomacy head said.     

In the end, Minister Nicu Popescu thanked his Bulgarian counterpart for the substantive discussions, as well as for the commitment and efforts for backing the European project of Moldova. He voiced confidence that Moldova and Bulgaria would continue the beneficial dialogue for both sides, according to the expectations of the two states’ citizens.  

Photo: MAEIE