Moldovan deputy premier discussed at OSCE Ministerial Council with counterparts from over 20 countries

Chisinau, 4 Dec. /MOLDPRES/- Diplomatic marathon in Łódź, where the head of Moldovan diplomacy, Nicu Popescu, together with foreign ministers and senior officials from the entire OSCE region participated in the 29th Ministerial Council, the MAEIE press service has reported.

"In these critical moments for our country and the region, it is more important than ever to ensure the support and solidarity of our partners - those who support our freedom and our Europeanness.

I addressed on behalf of our country in front of the 56 states participating in the OSCE, 11 partners for cooperation and several high officials from other international organizations, the national speech in which I referred to the main topical issues for security in the OSCE area, and the dramatic consequences of the Russian aggression on Ukraine and the impact for our country in energy and socio-economic terms", said Popescu.

The official addressed the bilateral agenda with his counterparts and the organization next year of the European Political Community Summit, which will be hosted in the Republic of Moldova, talking with the foreign ministers about the organization process and how we can develop this joint initiative for the benefit of citizens on the European continent.

At the meeting with Minister Bogdan Aurescu, the delegations of the Republic of Moldova and Romania together on 1 December at the ministerial meeting marked the National Day of Romania, strengthening the community of history, culture and language that unites us on our way towards the European Union.

With his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba, the diplomat discussed how we can cooperate more closely in areas of mutual interest. The Republic of Moldova stands in solidarity with Ukraine and we strongly condemn Russia's brutal war of aggression against the neighboring country.

Popescu had a consistent discussion with Victoria Nuland, the undersecretary of state for political affairs of the USA, tackling the strengthening of the Moldovan-American relationship in the context of the bilateral strategic dialogue, the current topics on the regional agenda as a result of the dramatic consequences generated of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine and the settlement of the Transnistrian conflict.

The official appreciated the significant support of the United States of America for strengthening resilience and combating the adverse consequences of the economic and energy crisis.

At the meeting with Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of Japan Shunsuke Takei, we talked about our good bilateral relations embodied in projects and initiatives in sectoral fields, about Japanese investments in our country that generate jobs, and the challenges generated by the war Russia's unjust action against Ukraine, especially in the energy and humanitarian sectors.

An exchange of views on the regional situation in Europe and Asia was also carried out during the discussion.

On the sidelines of the OSCE ministerial, with the high representative of the EU for foreign affairs and security policy, the vice-president of the European Commission, Josep Borrell, the diplomats approached the regional security situation in the context of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, the acute crisis in the energy sector, including the electricity shortage in our country as a result of the Russian Federation's massive attacks on the energy infrastructure in the neighboring country.

We also continued the discussion on strengthening our country's security through the European Peace Facility.

This topic was also the subject of our recent consultations at the 6th round of consultations in the field of security and defense between the Republic of Moldova and the European Union", said Popescu.

A very consistent discussion was also with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Finland Pekka Haavisto.

They spoke about the dramatic consequences of Russia's illegal war against Ukraine, including for our country, especially in the energy sector.

Finland is a friend of our country, which supports us in the process of reforms aimed at the European modernization of the Republic of Moldova.

The Finnish counterpart also spoke about Finland's NATO accession process.

Together with Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic Rastislav Káčer, Nicu Popescu exchanged views on the regional situation and the impact of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine.

The head of Slovak diplomacy mentioned the strong support of the efforts of the authorities in Chisinau regarding the reforms aimed at the European modernization of our country.

With Federal Minister for European and International Affairs of Austria Alexander Schallenberg, they referred to the determination of the authorities to deliver the reforms requested by the citizens to strengthen the accession path to the European Union.

"I discussed with the Austrian minister the issue of the liberalization of road transport of goods on the territory of the EU states, so that domestic road transport operators can carry out international transports through the EU for Moldovan exports, without road transport authorizations", said Popescu.

At the beginning of the meeting with Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary Péter Szijjártó, the officials signed the Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation within the Stipendium Hungaricum Program for 2023 - 2025.

The document provides for the offering each year of 40 scholarships for different study cycles: 25 for bachelor's studies, 10 for master's studies and five for PhD studies.

And with his Hungarian counterpart, Popescu spoke about the liberalization of road transport of goods on the territory of the EU states, receiving assurances that Hungary will support this proposal in the context of the complex security situation affecting transport networks.

"I congratulated Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland Zbigniew Rau for this year's exemplary holding of the presidency of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

I also spoke with the head of Polish diplomacy about the current challenges caused by Russia's unjust war against Ukraine, including in the energy sphere, agreeing to identify alternative solutions to strengthen the energy resilience of our country", pointed out the head of diplomacy from Chisinau.

With the foreign ministers of Sweden, Tobias Billström, Lithuania, Gabrielius Landsbergis, Estonia, Urmas Reinsalu, Greece, Nikos Dendias, they talked about the joint efforts of the Chisinau authorities in the European integration process.

With Minister of Foreign Affairs, Education and Sports of Liechtenstein Dominique Hasler, the officials referred to the impact of the war in the neighboring country on Moldova, in particular the energy and socio-economic crisis generated throughout the region, as well as cooperation in the field of education and support schools in our country through bilateral programs.

At the meeting with Thórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörd Gylfadóttir, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iceland, the officials talked about the common challenges in the European space dictated by the current security environment, about the need to strengthen the Moldovan-Icelandic bilateral cooperation, especially in the dimension of the green transition and investments in renewable energy.

In addition to the schedule of official meetings on the sidelines of the 29th meeting of the Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the OSCE participating States in Łódź, Poland, Popescu held several pull-aside meetings.

He spoke with the head of British diplomacy, James Cleverly, about the dramatic consequences of this brutal war on the European continent and ways to strengthen the resilience of the Republic of Moldova.

"We will strengthen our strategic partnership for the benefit of the citizens of both states," said the Moldovan diplomat.

Together with Norway's foreign minister Anniken Huitfeldt, they referred to the energy crisis as a consequence of Russia's unjust war against Ukraine.

Our country is looking for alternative sources of energy, and the support of the authorities in Oslo is highly appreciated.

With Isabelle Berro-Amadeï, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of the Principality of Monaco, it was agreed to boost Moldovan-Monegasque cooperation for the benefit of our citizens.

Popescu also held a meeting with Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, secretary of the Holy See for relations with the countries of the world.

"We referred to the dramatic consequences of Russia's unprovoked war against Ukraine, the humanitarian crisis generated by the conflict, including our country's contribution to hosting Ukrainian refugees," Nicu Popescu pointed out.

At the same time, the head of diplomacy of the Republic of Moldova congratulated his Macedonian counterpart Bujar Osmani, for taking over from 2023 the acting presidency of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

Photo: MAEIE