In a joint press conference held with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, President Maia Sandu confirmed on Friday in Berlin that Moldova is negotiating a security agreement with the EU, IPN reports, with reference to psnews.ro.
“This security agreement will be a kind of umbrella for already existing activities and we hope also for new ones,” she said, referring to the fact that Moldova already benefits from a European civilian mission created last year. The given arrangement encompasses a number of EU member states, which are developing different forms of security cooperation with the community bloc, such as cybersecurity.
Asked at the Berlin event about the possibility of signing a bilateral security agreement with Moldova, as France did, Scholz noted that cooperation on security and weapons issues has intensified lately and will continue to advance. The Chancellor reaffirmed Berlin’s support for Moldova’s European integration process, as well as Germany’s solidarity in the context of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
“We are aware that certain Russian actors are trying to destabilize Moldova, but Moldova has always admirably demonstrated its resilience capacity,” said Scholz, noting the “ambitious program” of Maia Sandu’s government to modernize the country and “adapt it to the challenges of the future.”
In another connection, the German official announced his intention to pay a response visit to Chisinau.
Covering Maia Sandu’s visit to Berlin, Deutsche Welle reported that when asked by a German journalist about the separatist region of Transnistria in the context of Moldova’s European integration, Maia Sandu said: “80 percent of exports from the Transnistrian region reach the European Union, a major change compared to the situation 10 years ago.” Therefore, “the Republic of Moldova, including Transnistria, is increasingly integrating into the EU”. Chisinau is ready to settle the Transnistrian conflict exclusively peacefully. At the same time, the Moldovan President reminded the German journalists attending the press conference in Berlin how difficult the situation in Transnistria is, given that Russian troops are still stationed there.
During the first day of her visit to Berlin, Maia Sandu also met with the President of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier, President of the Bundestag Bärbel Bas and members of the parliamentary committees on foreign affairs and European Union affairs, noting on social media “the strengthening of our economic ties and joint commitment to defending democratic values.”
IPN on Friday hosted a public debate centering on the future security agreement of the Republic of Moldova with the EU.
