Romania’s Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos, in a meeting with President Nicolae Timofti held in Bucharest on February 17, said that Romania will continue to be Moldova’s advocate in the European Union, IPN reports.

According to the presidential press service, the head of state thanked the Romanian Government for the unconditional and consistent support provided to Moldova in its European integration efforts and in implementing bilateral energy and infrastructure projects, underlining the necessity of maintaining the upward trend in the Moldovan-Romanian relations.

Dacian Ciolos said the decision to put forward a number of conditions for the Government of Moldova before unlocking the first tranche of the promised loan was taken not because of lack of trust, but in order to motivate the executive to do the reforms expected by the people of Moldova and the development partners.

The officials stressed the necessity of implementing joint energy projects, making reference to the extension of the Iasi-Ungheni gas pipeline up to Chisinau, and of improving the business climate in Moldova so that it is attractive for Romanian and foreign investors.

The two also discussed the subject of common cultural, historical and linguistic identity, saying this is an additional argument for supporting the rapprochement between Moldova and the European Union.