The Association Agreement with the EU, which includes the creation of a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area, will be made public and debated after it is initialed, as expected, at the Vilnius Eastern Partnership Summit on November 29, the head of the parliamentary group of the Liberal Democratic Party Valeriu Strelet said in the public debate “Stake of the Vilnius Summit as perceived by the Moldovan political class and society” that was organized by IPN.
“We see how much the opposition wants to compromise the initialing of this agreement. We realize what hubbub will be there if the text that is still negotiated is made known. After it is initialed, you will be able to comment on it,” said the Liberal-Democratic MP.
According to him, the Vilnius Summit marks the beginning of irreversibility. “It is a start, a rather important event, but in 2014 this start may be compromised. It depends on us if this beginning has continuity. We do not say that miracles will happen after the Vilnius Summit. The people will obtain prospects of a better life, not yet miracles,” stated the MP.
Valeriu Strelet also said that they now speculate a lot now on the population’s feeling of Euroskepticism. “This feeling is put on the government’s shoulders and we will not deny it fully. I think that the European integration is awaited by our people. For the time being, the solutions come from the West. The effort we make to reform justice, education and the health system hasn’t been fostered by the partnership with Russia, Ukraine and the CIS. It is the result of processes launched by the partnership with the EU. The European integration process is justified. It is a real chance to create better living conditions for the people,” he said.
He expressed his confidence that after the Association Agreement is signed, the Moldovan products will be exported both to Russia and the EU as Moldova’s coming close to the EU is not intended to be to the detriment of other states. He stressed he is against Moldova focusing on its internal development only as such a strategy caused the country to lag behind other states that were once at the same level, and about 700,000 Moldovans went abroad.
The public debate “Stake of the Vilnius Summit as perceived by the Moldovan political class and society” is the 22nd of the series of debates “Development of political culture by public debates” that are staged with support from the German Foundation “Hanns Seidel”.
