President of Moldova Igor Dodon, who was in Teheran on a visit, took part in the ceremony to inaugurate President-elect Hassan Rouhani. Afterward the two officials had a meeting where they discussed the cooperation relations between the two states. Igor Dodon also met with other high-ranking officials, including the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini, Vice President of the European Commission, and Deputy Prime Minister of Russia Dmitry Rogozin, IPN reports.
In the meeting with his Iranian counterpart, President Dodon expressed his confidence that the visit he paid to Iran this February and the agreements reached then will stimulate the dialogue between the two states and will contribute to developing relations of common interest. In connection with the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, the President pleaded for the intensification of the bilateral dialogue by meetings between officials of different ranks of the two states.
Igor Dodon encouraged the participation by Iranian companies in the development of free economic zones and industrial parks in the Republic of Moldova, which provide attractive conditions for foreign investors, and pleaded for the organization of a bilateral business forum in the shortest period of time. He also pleaded for the organization of the meeting of the joint Moldovan-Iranian commission for commercial-economic cooperation, which hadn’t convened since 1995, to stimulate trade and sector cooperation.
The meeting of President Dodon and Federica Mogherini centered on Moldova’s domestic and forearm policy agenda. Igor Dodon thanked the EU for the support provided to Moldova, underlining the interest in developing constructive and mutually advantageous relations with the EU. He said he plans to pay a working visit to Brussels at the end of this year and reiterated the invitation to the EU official to pay a visit to Moldova in the nearest future.
Igor Dodon also met Dmitry Rogozin. The sides discussed in detail the events of the last few weeks, the current state of the Moldovan-Russian relations and the cooperation priorities for the next few months. Igor Dodon said he hopes the dialogue with Dmitry Rogozin as co-chairman of the intergovernmental commission and special representative of the President of Russia for the Transnistrian conflict settlement will be continued.
The President said the declaring of Dmitry Rogozin as persona non-grata shows the Moldovan Government’s unwillingness to cooperate with the Government of Russia to resolve the very serious problems faced by Moldovan business entities and the Moldovans who work in Russia. He noted that this way the efforts made by the President of Moldova and Russia to restore the strategic dialogue and partnership between the two states are undermined, bush such a position cannot be accepted by the 65% of the Moldovans who consider Russia a friend and that the authorities should have constructive and mutually advantageous cooperation relations with this.
Igor Dodon requested the Russian partners to refrain from measures and sanctions that would affect the interests of the ordinary people and business entities, noting the ordinary people who are not to blame will suffer because of these, not the ministers and MPs of the ruling alliance.
In Teheran, President Dodon also met with the Iranian Speaker of Parliament Ali Larijani with whom he discussed the parliamentary cooperation between Moldova and Iran, ensured through regular exchanges of messages and information. Igor Dodon also met with Minister of Agriculture of Iran Mahmoud Hojjati. The sides discussed the bilateral cooperation in agriculture and possibilities of extending these.
