The implementation of the Association Agreement with the European Union remains a major national objective for 2015-2016, President Nicolae Timofti said in a reception given on the occasion of the winter holidays for the members of the diplomatic corps, IPN reports.
Nicolae Timofti stated that 2015 was a reference year in strengthening Moldova’s development course in the family of European people. In a difficult regional security context, with challenges for its sexuality and stability, Moldova managed to make significant progress in the relations with the EU.
“By obtaining a visa-free regime with the EU, by signing, ratifying and starting to implement the Association Agreement with the EU, which includes the Free Trade Area Agreement, we covered a decisive stage in the European integration process. This success is due first of all to the consistent support received from the EU member states, the United States and other partners, both at political level and in the efforts to modernize the country. We count on the political support of our European partners at the EaP Summit of Riga so that Moldova’s European perspective is confirmed,” said the head of state.
According to him, the bilateral relations with the neighboring states – Romania and Ukraine - in 2014 developed and will remain a foreign policy priority. The Moldovan-Romanian relations developed considerably by achieving priorities from the bilateral agenda and by implementing multiple economic and social projects, including the building of the Iasi-Ungheni gas pipeline and the laying of the foundations for energy interconnection with the European area.
Nicolae Timofti said the political dialogue with Ukraine intensified significantly. He expressed concern about the tragic developments in southeastern Ukraine and reiterated that the Moldovan people support the efforts made, with the participation of the international partners, to identify a peaceful political solution to the crisis, by respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine,” he stated.
He noted that the bilateral relations with the U.S. also developed, being marked by the strengthening of the high-level political dialogue. “We will maintain the same development pace in the relations with our American partners. I want to mention the constructive political dialogue and the continuous development of the economic relations with Belarus, Turkey, Israel, China, Japan, and South Korea. We aim to fully realize the cooperation potential with these countries and with other global and regional players,” said Nicolae Timofti, announcing the intention to open embassies in Tokyo and Chisinau on a reciprocity basis.
“Russia remains an important political and commercial-economic partner for our country. We will continue to make effort at political and ministerial levels to overcome the barriers placed artificially in some of the traditional sectors of cooperation,” stated the President.
He also said that the settlement of the Transnistrian conflict remains a major goal and efforts will be made to create favorable conditions for identifying a solution to the dispute, by observing the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Moldova. “An indispensable precondition is to complete the withdrawal of the Russian troops and ammunitions from Moldova’s territory and to transform the peacekeeping operation in the Security Zone into an international civil mission,” concluded Nicolae Timofti.
