PACE President in favor of Moldova switching over to post-monitoring stage

The President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Jean-Claude Mignon, who is in Chisinau on an official visit, said in a press briefing that he will insist on transferring Moldova from the monitoring to the post-monitoring stage, Info-Prim Neo reports. “When I meet with the rapporteurs of the monitoring commission, I will insist on a switchover from the monitoring to the post-monitoring stage. I’m sure that the country’s wish to shift to the next stage will make the Assembly fulfill this desideratum,” said Jean-Claude Mignon. He also said that the Council of Europe devotes increased attention to the feeling of tolerance and the monitoring commission makes sure that all the normative documents are adjusted to the international standards. The PACE president stressed that Moldova is a priority of his tenure and invited Prime Minister Vlad Filat to pay a visit to Strasbourg. The date of the visit is yet to be set. In the same press briefing, Vlad Filat said that by the next Eastern Partnership summit that is to take place next September, Moldova will fulfill all the commitments concerning the negotiation of the Moldova-EU Association Agreement and the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area. “We are to adopt the normative documents and implement the planned reforms. The objectives are ambitious, but achievable, especially now that we have political stability,” he stated. The Premier voiced hope that the visit of the PACE President to Chisinau will give a new impetus to the bilateral relations, assuring that Moldova will meet all the commitments in the electoral field, will eliminate the cases of torture, will reform the justice sector and will establish the rule of law. The two officials also discussed the Transnistrian conflict. Vlad Filat said there are now all the preconditions for settling it, underlining in this connection that coherence, perseverance and concerted effort on the part of all the participants, including the PACE, are needed.