Chisinau wants strategic partnership agreement with U.S.

Moldova's Acting President and Head of Parliament Mihai Ghimpu said that there should be signed a new strategic partnership agreement between Moldova and the United States and that the draft agreement was already sent to the U.S. Embassy in Chisinau. According to Ghimpu, the partnership will be aimed at strengthening the bilateral political dialogue and the commercial, economic and international security cooperation, Info-Prim Neo reports. Mihai Giimpu made the statements at a meeting with the U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia Celeste Wallander on December 11. The meeting was also attended by the U.S. Ambassador to Moldova Asif J. Chaudhry and other U.S. officials. “We approve of the U.S.'s contribution to strengthening the state of law and revitalizing the economy of Moldova,” Mihai Ghimpu said. “The US$262 million in technical and financial assistance allocated by the MCC to Moldova under the Compact Program is a relevant proof.” Ghimpu said the role of the EU and the U.S. as mediators in the Transnistrian conflict settlement talk in the 5+2 format should be increased. According to him, the democratization and demilitarization of the Transnistrian region is an indispensable condition for solving the dispute. The Parliament's press service said that Celeste Wallander praised the Moldovan authorities for their efforts to modernize Moldova and make progress on the path to European integration, highlighting that the U.S. supports the present administration's pragmatic steps to implement democratic changes in the interests of the Moldovan people.