Accession to the EU should be a priority of diplomatic action, as Moldova can survive as a democratic country only as a member of the EU family, President Maia Sandu told the annual convention of Moldovan ambassadors hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, reports IPN.
“We cannot afford to remain in the gray area any longer. We owe it to the citizens to do everything so that the Republic of Moldova remains part of the free world, to strengthen democracy, to ensure a peaceful future, a prosperous future for our country, and to ensure the well-being of our citizens”, declared the president.
In her opinion, it is vital that continuous progress in the context of EU accession is visible. There are concrete conditions formulated by the European Commission, and efforts are still needed to reform justice and advance the fight against corruption. “Your job is to tell the member states, and not just the member states, about all our efforts and our achievements. We should also communicate about problems. While our effort is genuine, it is natural to encounter impediments. But, as always, we must be open and talk about the challenges we face and, respectively, the help we need to overcome these problems”, Maia Sandu said.
The president named among the priorities the revival of the economy and the promotion of the diaspora’s interests.
Maia Sandu added that Moldova’s role as a security provider in the region and on the continent must be promoted. Also, it is necessary to intensify cooperation with countries that can help us strengthen our defense and security sector.
Nicu Popescu, Deputy Prime Minister/Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, said that over the past year, since the previous ambassadorial meeting, the authorities have managed to achieve several objectives. “We have strengthened our role as a candidate state for joining the European Union. We continued to secure the support of each EU member state for our accession process. We organized the Summit of the European Political Community. We managed to finalize the negotiation of several useful agreements for the diaspora - social protection, conversion of permits, etc.”, stressed Nicu Popescu.
The Moldovan ambassadors’ convention takes place on August 16 and 17. The convention discusses recent international developments, including the progress of the Republic of Moldova in the process of joining the European Union. To streamline the activity of the embassies and formulate concrete tasks for the institutions of the diplomatic service, the agenda of the event also includes meetings of heads of missions with President Maia Sandu, Speaker Igor Grosu, Prime Minister Dorin Recean, and other governmental officials.
