Deputy Prime Minister Nicu Popescu, Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, immediately after he was sworn in had a telephone conversation with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Romania Bogdan Aurescu and also with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba. The two foreign diplomats congratulated Nicu Popescu on the appointment of the Government. Bogdan Aurescu invited Nicu Popescu to pay a visit to Bucharest and the invitation was accepted, IPN reports.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, in the discussions with the Romanian minister, the interlocutors agreed to accelerate the implementation of the priority bilateral projects and to identify new opportunities that would meet the concrete needs of the citizens, based on the bilateral Strategic Partnership for the European Integration of the Republic of Moldova. Minister Popescu said the employment of Romania’s experience and expertise in the field of European integration, the implementation of joint projects in energy infrastructure, transport and communications will bring Moldova much close to the European Union.
The deputy prime minister thanked the Romanian official for the consistent assistance offered in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, Romania being at bilateral level the largest donor of vaccines for Moldova. For his part, Bogdan Aurescu reaffirmed Romania’s consistent support for Moldova’s European agenda, the full implementation of the Association Agreement with the EU and the support for our country at EU level.
The discussions with Dmytro Kuleba centered on the key elements of the cooperation agenda. Nicu Popescu expressed Moldova’s readiness to intensify the strategic partnership with Ukraine, including in the field of European integration in the Associated Trio (Republic of Moldova, Georgia, Ukraine) format and to strengthen the political dialogue at all levels.
The ministers agreed the following as joint priorities for the immediate period: implementation of infrastructure projects; cooperation in the energy sector, and stepping up of commercial-economic exchanges. The two officials also conferred on the situation in eastern Ukraine. In this connection, Nicu Popescu reiterated Moldova’s firm support for the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine, in strict compliance with the internationally recognized borders.
