Catherine Ashton: We share common visions on reform

“The Association Agreement that we are negotiating with Moldova will bring us closer to each other, both in terms of political association and economic integration. We share common visions on the promotion of reforms that should bring stability and prosperity to Moldova”, stated EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton, at a joint briefing with Moldovan Prime Minister Vlad Filat on Thursday evening in Chisinau, Info-Prim Neo reports. The EU's foreign policy chief told reporters her visit aimed to assure the Chisinau authorities once again that the EU would continue to fully support Moldova on its path toward modernization and European integration. Catherine Ashton said her discussions with Prime Minister Vlad Filat included the need for Moldova to identify effective solutions to implement reform in various areas. They also discussed the developments in the EU-Moldova relationship in the last three months and the prospects of this relationship. Catherine Ashton thinks that the authorities in Chisinau have made quite a lot of progress in a relatively short period of time. According to the Government's press service, during the meeting that preceded the briefing, PM Filat remarked the quality and the speediness of the EU-Moldova dialogue on visa-related issues, a process which has already reached the implementation phase of the Action Plan on Visa Liberalization. “After five rounds of negotiations, almost all the chapters have been provisionally closed and we are ready to proceed to the next stage, and namely the initiation of talks on the establishment of the Free Comprehensive Trade Area, which is part of the Association Agreement”, said Vlad Filat. After the briefing, Catherine Ashton was expected to meet with acting President Marian Lupu and Liberal leader Mihai Ghimpu. The EU's foreign policy chief will stay in Moldova until Friday, March 4.