Moldova is 'clearly a European country'

Culturally and historically Moldova is clearly a European country and in recent years it has made a lot of efforts to progress in its EU rapprochement, stated Maija Valivaara, country co-ordinator for Moldova in the Bucharest-based Embassy of Finland. “So far Moldova has taken some determined steps towards shared European values such as respect for human rights, democracy and fundamental freedoms, rule of law and freedom of speech. When moving closer to the EU, the adhesion to and implementation of these core European values in Moldova will become increasingly important”, Maija Valivaara told Info-Prim Neo. The Embassy of Finland is promoting the European message in Moldova by participating in different kinds of events and sharing information by using its own experience as a model. “Finland is a strong advocate of the European values such as human rights, democracy and the rule of law, among others, and in this manner also very eager to spread information on them”, said Maija Valivaara. Participating in the Europe Days in Chisinau, organized by the EU Delegation to Moldova, the Finnish mission will hand out leaflets with information on Finland and its role in Europe. In addition, a Finnish movie called “Prinsessa” will be screened during the European Film Festival in Chisinau. In Finland, Europe Day celebrations include different types of events: musical presentations, films, seminars, competitions and food tastings organized by local associations, organizations and political parties. “The most important element of the celebration is to promote European values and culture. Also one of the traditions is to fly the Finnish flag, if possible accompanied by the European flag, all over the country during Europe Day”, said Maija Valivaara. Europe Days in Moldova are celebrated this year in Chisinau and Comrat during May 12-19. The events are organized by the EU Delegation to Moldova and sponsored by Sudzucker, Orange, Agroindbank Moldova and Flor Art.