President Igor Dodon had a meeting with the Prime Minister of Russia Dmitry Medvedev and the Russian President’s Special Representative for development of commercial-economic relations with the Republic of Moldova, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak. In the discussions, President Dodon requested to extend again the period for exporting Moldovan goods to Russia duty-free and the authorization of goods transit through Ukraine by heavy trucks, IPN reports.
According to the presidential press service, the officials discussed a wide range of matters related to the bilateral relations, in particular in trade and energy, and pointed to the constant rise in trade that in 2018 came to US$ 940 million.
Igor Dodon and his interlocutors also discussed the supply of Russian natural gas to Moldova after January 1, 2020, when the previous contract for the supply of gas expires. President Dodon expressed his conviction that the solving of these problems will significantly contribute to fully restoring the strategic relations with Russia.
He assured the Russian partners that after a new parliamentary majority and a new Government were formed in Moldova based on a broad national consensus, the strategy of a balanced foreign policy and mutually advantageous economic relations will get a new impetus.
At the end of the meeting, the officials agreed that Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak will pay a working visit to Chisinau at the start of next week. “He will have discussions with all the senior state officials of Moldova so as to agree the priorities for extending the Moldovan-Russian relations,” stated Igor Dodon.
President Dodon is paying a working visit to Minsk, where he took part in the opening of the second edition of the European Games. While in Minsk, he had bilateral meetings with heads of state and government.