The Chisinau councilors approved a draft decision concerning the additional cooperation agreement to the Twining Protocol signed by the Chisinau City Hall and the Bucharest City Hall on November 4, 1999. A number of 42 councilors voted in favor of this, IPN reports.
The meeting of the Chisinau Municipal Council (CMC) involved 16 councilors of the General Council of Bucharest.
CMC secretary Adrian Talmaci said the additional agreement specifies the areas of cooperation, namely the exchange of experience and implementation of local development projects, promotion of projects and activities in such areas as economic development, culture, youth, tourism and others.
The agreement envisions interinstitutional exchanges in the social sphere, economic development, accession of European funds, sport, environmental protection, transport, architecture, urbanism etc. Based on this agreement, the Chisinau City Hall will work out a new cooperation program with specific actions for the immediate period.
Vasile Grădinaru, head of the PAS group on the CMC, said the voted legal document is like a step towards sustainable twinning between Moldova and Romania and a small step towards the union of the two states.
Ion Cebanu, head of the Liberal group, said Romania was near Moldova in times of hardship and showed that it can be near not only by words, but also by deeds.
Democratic councilor Veaceslav Nedelea noted the municipality of Chisinau banks a lot on the expertise of Bucharest.
Socialist councilor Victor Polyakov stated that the legal commission for public order and administration approved of this agreement.
Valery Klimenko, of the Shor Party, asked that the City Hall should extend the similar cooperation agreements with Moscow, Kiev or Minsk.
Mayor of Chisinau Ion Ceban thanked the Romanian councilors for the projects implemented in the capital city with the support of the municipality of Bucharest.
Bucharest deputy mayor Aurelian Bădulescu said the given cooperation for the Romanian side is fundamental so that the two institutions could benefit from the experience of the two administrative units and the projects planned to be implemented together produce the expected result.
