The President of the Republic of Moldova Maia Sandu had a meeting with the President of Georgia Salome Zourabichvili in Chisinau, which was followed by a joint news conference.
Noting that this visit is the first paid by a Georgian President the past 12 years, with the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two states being celebrated this year, President Sandu said that we are going through very difficult times when Ukraine has been at war for almost eight months.
Maia Sandu called on the international community to do its utmost to stop the Russian aggression and to help Ukraine restore its territorial integrity. “We cannot allow the aggression and fear to win. We should do our best to restore rules-based international order and should reaffirm our respect for international law, for the sovereignty of states and for their right to decide their fate themselves. Only this way we can ensure sustainable peace in our region and in the world,” stated the official.
As regards the bilateral relations, President Sandu said the Georgian President’s visit can open a new chapter in the Moldovan-Georgian relations and can give an impetus to the bilateral contacts and exchanges in a number of areas. The bilateral commission for economic cooperation should continue its work, contacts in the fields of culture should be intensified and an exchange of experience in fighting propaganda and disinformation should be ensured.
For her part, President Salome Zourabichvili said that in the context of the war in Ukraine, it is very hard to speak about the bilateral Moldovan-Georgian relations as Russia’s aggression against Ukraine exceeds the capacities of the two states, even if her country’s administration aims to extend cooperation between Georgia and the Republic of Moldova. Speaking about the future expectations of her country, the Georgian official noted that the future of the three countries is in the EU and they all want to become members of the EU. “We must extend our cooperation,” stated Salome Zourabichvili.
