Prime Minister Iurie Leanca had a meeting with his Russian counterpart Dmitri Medvedev in Sankt Petersburg on November 20. The two discussed the situation of the Moldovan migrants who are temporarily on Russia’s territory and underlined the importance of signing intergovernmental agreements on cooperation in labor migration, in combating illegal migration and on readmission as soon as possible so as to create an efficient legal framework for protecting the interests and rights of the Moldovans working in Russia, IPN reports.

According to a communiqué from the Government of Moldova, the meeting was held on the sidelines of the summit of CIS heads of state and government. The two Premiers examined the possibility of resuming the export of Moldovan alcoholic beverages to Russia and the cooperation prospects in the energy sector. Emphasizing the role of the joint Moldovan-Russian commission for economic cooperation in developing and deepening the commercial-economic cooperation, the heads of government of the two states pleaded for organizing the ordinary meeting of the commission in the near future.

Iurie Leanca and Dmitri Medvedev also discussed the latest developments in the Transnistrian conflict settlement process. They reiterated the importance of continuing the dialogue in the 5+2 format and of joining the efforts of all the participants in order to identify a viable solution that would not infringe on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Moldova.

Within the Commonwealth of Independent States, Moldova pleads for the promotion of free movement of people and strengthening of the commercial-economic relations and cooperation in the social and cultural-humanitarian spheres. Almost 30 issues were examined in the summit. Iurie Leanca and his counterparts from the CIS signed a number of agreements on commercial-economic cooperation, tourism, healthcare and on cooperation in the technical-scientific, financial and social-humanitarian sectors. The next summit will take place in Ukraine’s Kiev next May.