President Voronin to participate in SEECP Summit

Moldova’s President Vladimir Voronin will participate on May 11 in the Summit of the Heads of State and Government of the South-East European Cooperation Process (SEECP) held in Zagreb, Croatia. Voronin will be accompanied by a delegation formed of 10 persons, numbering Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration Andrei Stratan, Ambassador of Moldova to Hungary – Valeriu Bobutac, director of the SEECP National Bureau, Dumitru Tira etc. On 4 May 2006, in Thessaloniki, Greece, the heads of state and government of SEECP countries approved Moldova’s accession as a full-right member of this organisation. Until 2006 Moldova participated in SEECP meetings as observer. As part of the last year’s meeting, the participants voiced their commitment to the Euro-Atlantic integration, strengthening relations with EU and improving regional cooperation. It was also agreed on the expansion of the Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA), in order to replace the labyrinth of free trade bilateral agreements existing at that moment. The South East European Cooperation Process (SEECP) appeared in 1996. The states participating in SEECP are Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, Macedonia, Romania, Serbia and Montenegro, Turkey, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia. The basic goals of regional cooperation within SEECP include the strengthening of security and political situation, intensification of economic relations and cooperation in human resources, democracy, justice, and battle against illegal activities. It is the intention of the SEECP to enable its members to approach the European and Euro-Atlantic structures through the strengthening of good neighbourly relations and transformation of the region into an area of peace and stability. Croatia has run the organisation until May 2007, when the one-year rotational chairmanship will be taken over by Bulgaria.