The Nistru River is one of the key items on the Moldova-Ukraine bilateral agenda and in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ diplomatic interaction with other partners, primarily the European Union. “It is a subject we discuss with our partners from Ukraine and with those from the EU. The joint statement we issued together with the European Union after the meeting of the Association Council held in Brussels on October 28-29 emphasizes the problem related to the Nistru River,“ Deputy Prime Minister Nicu Popescu, Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration said when being asked by IPN’s reporter about the relations between Moldova and Ukraine. He said the situation around the Nistru River is ‘delicate’ and voiced hope that the EU will become involved in several weeks to find a solution.

“Currently, together with Ukraine, we are preparing a joint request to the European Union to assess the ecology of the Nistru River, the impact of the hydropower station on the river and to help us find solutions to eventual problems related to the river that are already visible so as to minimize and avoid ecological problems,” stated Nicu Popescu.

He expressed his confidence that Moldova and Ukraine will reach an agreement and will finish the discussions on this approach to the EU. He noted that the risks faced by Moldova are common for particular districts of Ukraine. The counterparts from Kiev area ready to identify a solution as the negative developments on the Nistru will also affect the citizens of Ukraine.

Asked if the Moldovan authorities intend to recover the part of the Naslavcea barrage that belongs to Moldova and that was conceded to Ukraine during the Filat Government, Nicu Popescu said the diplomatic representatives of Moldova and Ukraine discuss the whole range of questions that appear in the bilateral relations. The signed agreements were reached based on compromises and steps made towards each other. There are no agreements that are based exclusively on unilateral actions or these would not be called agreements.

Nicu Popescu also spoke about properties situated in Ukraine that are Moldova’s assets. He said the problem hasn’t been fully solved during 30 years. The dialogue with the Ukraine side continues. There are problematic situations and effort is made to solve them. The dialogue is complex and focuses on a number of aspects, including the functionality of institutions in Moldova and Ukraine.