Ukraine can provide substantial assistance to Moldova in doing reforms. “I think the new elements that appeared in Ukraine’s policy are evident, including the appointment of foreign nationals as Cabinet members and the constitution of teams of reformists here. There are several groups of experts with theoretical knowledge and practical experience as well here,” Moldova’s Ambassador in Kiev Ion Stavila said in an interview for Radio Free Europe, quoted by IPN.

The diplomat said that while Prime Minister Chiril Gaburici was in Kiev, this discussed the Transnistrian conflict settlement process and the conflict’s impact on the security in the region with Ukrainian officials. The sides reiterated their readiness to closely cooperate in promoting the settlement process.

“As regards the so-called blockade and isolation of the region, this is rather a myth as there is actually no blockade.  On the contrary, there were discussed methods of helping the people from the region and the interests of these people who are affected by the unsettled conflict and the socioeconomic crisis that hit the region,” stated Ion Stavila.

According to him, a mechanism for instituting join control on the Moldovan-Ukrainian border, on the Transnistrian segment, so as to help the region’s economic entities to export and to continue to import the goods needed in Transnistria, is to be worked out in the near future.

Among other topics discussed were the national security and the energy security. The officials from Chisinau and Kiev considered methods of joining the potential of the two states. “The fact that Ukraine and Moldova became members of the European Energy Community helps us to meet the European standards in this field and to strengthen the interconnection with the European countries in the energy sector so as to fully profit from the EU’s possibilities and ensure our country’s energy security,” stated the diplomat.

Asked about the Riga Summit and its importance, Ion Stavila said the Ukrainian and Moldovan diplomatic services are making effort to obtain success, which would be reflected in the Summit’s statement, and the diplomatic struggle for the European perspective hasn’t been yet lost.

In the end, the diplomat said in Kiev they also discussed the possibility of staging response visits to Chisinau. The chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Volodymyr Groisman is to pay a visit to Chisinau at the beginning of June, while the Prime Minister of Ukraine Arseny Yatsenyuk could visit Moldova in the second half of this year.