European diplomatic tour after U.S. visit

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Iurie Leanca paid a working visit to Berlin, where he had a series of meetings with officials of the Federal Chancellor’s Office and the Federal Foreign Ministry, members of the Bundestag and the Eastern Committee of German Economy. The discussions centered on the present situation in Moldova, the development of the political and economic situation between Chisinau and Berlin, the efforts made to resume the Transnistrian conflict settlement talks, and the strengthening of the Moldova-EU dialogue aimed at adjusting the national standards to the European ones in the European integration process. Iurie Leanca went to Berlin from Bucharest, where he had meetings with his Romanian counterpart Teodor Baconschi, President Traian Basescu, Prime Minister Emil Boc, and EU Ambassadors to Moldova based in Bucharest. Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration Andrei Popov discussed similar issues with British officials during a visit to London. The topics for discussion included the prospects of developing the Moldovan-British cooperation in justice and internal affairs and the facilitation of trips by Moldovan travelers to the UK. Andrei Popov met with Minister for Europe of the British Foreign Ministry David Lidington, Immigration Minister of the Ministry of the Interior Damian Green, and Lord Dubs, head of the Parliamentary Friendship Group with Moldova. The European tour of the Moldovan officials was preceded by a visit to Chisinau paid by the U.S. vice president Joe Biden, who expressed his support for the democratic processes in Moldova and for the Transnistrian conflict settlement process.