The Speakers of the Parliaments of Moldova, Georgia and Ukraine signed a statement by which they pledge to promote a common position on defense and security. The document was signed by Andrian Candu, Irakli Kobakhidze and Andriy Parubiy at the high-level international conference “Georgia, Republic of Moldova and Ukraine: Eastern Partnership and current security challenges” that was held in Chisinau, IPN reports.
The three Speakers call on the governments to improve the capacities to counteract hybrid threats and to implement integrated infrastructure and energy projects. They express their deep concern about the fact that the Russian troops continue to stay on the sovereign territory of the Republic of Moldova, while the Russian occupation and other forms of military intervention continue in different regions of Georgia and Ukraine. They also express their concern about the coordinated support from outside for separatist movements, instigation of hatred based on ethnic and linguistic criteria and about the information operations involving the mass media, social networking sites and the Internet.
The three states reaffirm their adherence to the international law norms and principles on sovereignty and territorial integrity and the principle of the host country’s consent to the presence of foreign troops. The Speakers of Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine, by the signed document, reiterate the commitment to pursue the European integration as the most efficient instrument for ensuring the prosperity, safety, stable and democratic development in the long run. “We reaffirm that the implementation of the Association Agreements/ Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreements with the European Union is a key commitment of the three associate partner states. We acknowledge that the approximation process creates favorable conditions for the functional integration of Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine into the EU. Consequently, the Association Agreements and the related documents will serve as a model for intense cooperation with the EU during the next few years.”
The three states called on the EU member states and the European and U.S. institutions to continue to support Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine on the difficult, but worthy path of democratic reforms and to support the initiatives designed to appropriately investigate and react to the illegal attempts coordinated by particular states that undermine the territorial integrity, national security and democratic foundations of the countries.
