The opening of the Embassy of the Netherlands in the Republic of Moldova and the accreditation of the first resident ambassador are a very important moment for strengthening the partnership between the two states, said Deputy Prime Minister Nicu Popescu, Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration. He expressed his confidence that the Netherlands will remain a reliable partner of the Republic of Moldova in the process of joining the EU, IPN reports.
“We discussed the strong commitment to join the EU and the implementation of the nine recommendations of the European Commission, together with the Netherlands. In the context of the Republic of Moldova’s integration into the EU, this platform enables us to strengthen our capacities,” Nicu Popescu stated in a news conference given alongside the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands Wopke Hoekstra.
According to the Moldovan official, the biggest expectation and also the biggest danger to the Republic of Moldova’s accession to the EU come from the justice sector. “Peace and the accession to the EU are our priorities. Any person who hampers the reformation of the justice sector endangers the path to the EU and deprives the citizens of the possibility of having a prosperous European future,” said Nicu Popescu, noting that a larger number of responsible officials who would deal with the integration into the EU is necessary. “We will strengthen these capacities in practically all the ministries. During the next few days, we will publish the list of the tens of concrete accomplishments and in the near future we will present to the public an exhaustive list with the actions that were implemented.”
For his part, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands Wopke Hoekstra noted that the Republic of Moldova can bank on the support of the Netherlands. “During these 30 years of bilateral relations, we have had fruitful cooperation. I’m sure that from now on, we will have even closer cooperation between our countries. I want to express my admiration for the courage and the steps taken by the Republic of Moldova to join the EU. We are ready to offer all the necessary support in the economic sector and also in the justice sector,” stated Wopke Hoekstra, noting the EU should remain united, while Moldova should follow its path of integration into the big European family.
