The French Secretary of State for European Affairs, Amélie de Montchalin, will pay a visit to Moldova on September 12 and 13. Amélie de Montchalin has scheduled meetings with the president of the country, the prime minister, as well as the leadership of the Parliament. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration states in a press release that Amélie de Montchalin visits Moldova following a previous meeting with Minister Nicu Popescu on June 13 in Paris, IPN reports.
According to MAEIE, this visit comes at crucial moment in the relations between Moldova and France and between Moldova and the European Union. On June 20, the Council of Europe welcomed the peaceful transfer of power in Chisinau and expressed the wish that the European Union should support the Republic of Moldova.
On September 13, at 11.30 am, Amélie de Montchalin will hold a joint press conference with Minister Nicu Popescu. On the same day, at 12.00 o’clock, at the Law Department of the State University, the French Secretary of State and the Minister of Foreign Affairs will have a meeting with Francophone students of main universities in Chisinau, where they will discuss the relations between the European Union and the Republic of Moldova as well as the Moldovan-French relations.
During her visit, Amélie de Montchalin will stress France's full support for EU resumed commitments to Moldova, a country that plays a key role in terms of regional stability in the eastern neighbourhood of the European Union. She will encourage the Moldovan authorities in their efforts to implement the Association Agreement between the European Union and the Republic of Moldova, namely as regards the fight against corruption, the establishment of a rule of law and the independence of justice, says the press release issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Secretary of State will express the wish of French authorities to give a new impetus to the relations between France and the Republic of Moldova, both by relaunching the political dialogue between the two countries and by enhancing bilateral cooperation, in the following areas: Moldova’s economic development, the rule of law and university exchanges. The official will underline the importance of maintaining the place of French language in the public education of the Republic of Moldova and will mention the difficulties encountered by some French companies in their activity in Moldova. Finally, it will reiterate the priorities of the French presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe and, in particular, will endorse the Republic of Moldova to ratify the Istanbul Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, the press release said.