The Europeanization of the Republic of Moldova, its coming out of international isolation, constant dialogue with the diaspora, and economic diplomacy are the priority areas for the Moldovan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated Foreign Minister Nicu Popescu during the convention of Moldovan Ambassadors taking place in Chisinau.
According to Popescu, the unprecedented pace of Moldova coming closer to the EU, with candidate status obtained, is the biggest event that marked this year. The new status brings concrete benefits to the people in the form of increased export quotas for agricultural products, liberalization of road freight transportation, and unprecedented aid from the EU for coping with the energy crisis.
“This generous support from the European Union has enabled us to cover part of the costs generated by the energy crisis. The EU remains the most faithful partner of our country, opening the European market more widely for our farmers as well, so that our agricultural products can be exported more easily. We cooperated very well with the Ministry of Defense to channel more assistance and to strengthen the defense capacity of our country”, said Popescu.
Another priority of the Moldovan diplomacy is keeping strong bonds with Moldovans in the diaspora. This year, nine agreements were signed on social protection, agreements on the recognition of education diplomas or agreements facilitating the exchange of driver’s licenses.
“We are working hard on the facilitation and digitization of our consular services. We managed to shorten waiting times in several consulates, including in Tel Aviv and Frankfurt. We are procuring new equipment for consular services and plan to strengthen our consular teams in a number of capitals, including London, Berlin, Paris, in the United States, all of them destinations with large Moldova communities that need more accessible, faster services from our consulates”, said Moldova’s top diplomat.
Popescu added that economic diplomacy is another priority of the Ministry, which works to promote agricultural exports and improve the legal framework to attract investment.
