Moldovan deputy premier attends informal meeting of EU foreign ministers

Chisinau, Aug. 31 /MOLDPRES/- Deputy Prime Minister Nicu Popescu, Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration participated in the informal meeting of the ministers of foreign affairs from the European Union in the Gymnich format hosted by Czech Minister of Foreign Affairs Jan Lipavský, in the context of holding the presidency of the Council of the European Union, being invited together with counterparts from Ukraine and Georgia, the MAEIE press service has reported.

It is the first meeting in this format in which the delegation of the Republic of Moldova participates as a future member state of the EU. The unanimous support for our country by granting candidate country status in the historic vote of the Council of the European Union on June 23, preceded by the positive opinion of the European Commission, motivated the Chisinau government to quickly approve the ambitious Action Plan after internal consultations and extensively regarding the nine measures stipulated in the Commission's note.

In his speech, the Moldovan official spoke about common challenges and concerns in the context of the new geopolitical reality after the unjustified military aggression of Ukraine by the Russian Federation, which has a deep impact on the region and the Republic of Moldova.

He appreciated the cooperation with the European Union through the European Peace Facility and the support offered to strengthen the resilience of the Republic of Moldova in the field of defense and security, which we will benefit from in the future.

Popescu noted the urgent need not to admit the transformation of nuclear power plants into a theater of war and to ensure strict monitoring by the experts of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

"We are a community of countries that share the same values ​​of democracy, freedom, the rule of law and adherence to a rules-based international order," he said.

The official pointed out the recent concrete actions by which the Republic of Moldova stands in solidarity with Ukraine, including the provision of solidarity bands for grain and fuel, the restoration of the Basarabeasca - Berezino railway section after two months of work, the facilitation of the transport of goods between Moldova and Ukraine, the constant care of our authorities for refugees.

"Like everyone else in Europe, our country is preparing for a difficult winter amid the ongoing war and uncertainty of energy supplies. I informed my European colleagues that the government team is working to mitigate the impact of the energy crisis and advocated for further deepening of energy integration.

I assured my counterparts in the EU that we will continue to work to minimize the impact of the war and contribute to regional stability, while at the same time accelerating the pace of the country's transformation to get closer to the EU and bring concrete benefits to the citizens," said Popescu.

Photo: MAEIE