EU seriously concerned about developments in Moldova

The EU Foreign Ministers Monday adopted a declaration saying the EU has "serious concerns" about developments in Moldova, Radio Free Europe reports, quoted by Info-Prim Neo. But Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg, who chaired the meeting, said the EU is resolved to push on with its Eastern Partnership initiative, which is designed to forge closer ties between the bloc and six eastern neighbors. “We believe that sending a strong message to the six partnership countries -- Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan -- is very important in the light of the recent developments in the region, and that we need to engage with our neighbors more closely in order to promote good governance, the rule of law, and transparency," Karel Schwartzenberg said. "The current tensions in the country (Moldova – e.n.) pose a challenge for the European Union. Our task is now to find a proper way to strengthen our policy of bringing Moldova closer to our standard," he said. "We expect Moldova to behave in a European way, not only vis-à-vis the European Union and its members, but first of all, of course, internally." According to some reports, the President of Moldova Vladimir Voronin will not attend the May 7 Summit in Prague, where the Eastern Partnership is to be officially launched. Moldova could be represented by Prime Minister Zinaida Greceanii.