The visit made by the foreign ministers of the Nordic-Baltic Eight (NB8) countries to Chisinau is a powerful signal of support for the Republic of Moldova and its European course, said President Maia Sandu.

“We are grateful to each country apart for the good bilateral cooperation and cooperation within the EU. We welcome the recent launch of the EU Partnership Mission for the Republic of Moldova under the Common Security and Defense Policy that will help us to strengthen the security sector,” President Sandu stated in a meeting with the eight ministers.

She welcomed the EU’s decision to impose sanctions during a record period of time on those who try to destabilize the situation in the country, IPN reports.

In another meeting, of the eight officials and Prime Minister Dorin Recean, the latter underscored the importance of the assistance from each NB8 member state in advancing the reform agenda and in modernizing the Republic of Moldova for the benefit of the citizens, by ensuring economic growth, fighting corruption, reforming the justice sector and increasing the population’s welfare. He spoke about the measures taken at internal level to ensure peace, stability and security.

“The European integration is the clear choice supported by the people. But work needs to be done for our country to become a modern state with powerful institutions, equitable justice and a resilient society so that we come closer to the European standards, while our citizens feel at home, wherever in Europe. We will need the support of our European friends to transform the Republic of Moldova in an accelerated way,” stated Premier Recean.

In his meeting with the NB8 ministers, Parliament Speaker Igor Grosu approved of the support offered by their countries to the European integration process in Moldova. He spoke about the commitments undertaken by the government, including the reformation of the justice sector, harmonization of the legislation and improvement of state institutions.

“Hard work needs to be done, but we are not the first who go through this process, while the countries of the NB8 format are an example for us. This visit made in a year after the Speakers of these counties visited Chisinau is one more proof of the fact that the Republic of Moldova has reliable friends in the European integration process,” noted Igor Grosu.

Nordic-Baltic cooperation or NB8 is a regional cooperation format which as of 1992 has brought together five Nordic countries and three Baltic countries (Finland, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Denmark, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania) in order to discuss important regional and international issues in an informal atmosphere