During President Maia Sandu’s visit to Paris, three bilateral documents were signed with France. This includes a new iteration of the defense agreement, originally signed in 1998. Another document is a roadmap for economic cooperation for the next six years, and the third one is an agreement enabling a 40 million euros Forestry Reform Program for Moldova.
According to the Moldovan President’s Office, the updated defense agreement covers important areas, including defense policies, participation in international missions, information technology and military telecommunications, among others.
The 2024-2029 economic cooperation roadmap foresees joint actions to boost investment and trade between Moldova and France. More than two hundred French companies operate today in Moldova, bringing benefits to both economies.
The 40 million euros provided in the forestry reform agreement will be used to plant forests, bring Moldova’s forestry sector in line with European standards and buy equipment, among other purposes. The agreement comes with an additional 1.2 million euro grant in technical assistance as well.
During her visit to France, Maia Sandu discussed Moldova’s future in the EU, economic cooperation and concrete initiatives to strengthen the country’s security. After meeting with Emmanuel Macron, Sandu hailed her French counterpart for being “one of Moldova’s closest supporter”.
“The Republic of Moldova is facing an intensification of hybrid attacks. France, which is also targeted by these threats, is ready to strengthen cooperation with the relevant Moldovan institutions to deal with them, complementing the actions of the European Union Partnership Mission (EUPM). France reaffirms its unwavering support for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Moldova within its internationally recognized borders and welcomes the efforts made for the gradual reintegration of the Transnistrian region into a single legal, economic, fiscal and customs space. France confirms its willingness to contribute, when the time is right, to a lasting and peaceful solution to this conflict, including through technical assistance to destroy the ammunition stocks located at Cobasna, which represent a danger to the population of the entire region. France and the Republic of Moldova recall that the Russian Federation must comply with its international commitments, especially within the framework of the OSCE, and withdraw its forces stationed illegally on the territory of the Republic of Moldova”, reads a joint statement issued by the two presidents.
