Moldova should be treated as a European neighbor, not as a neighbor of Europe: Polish FM

Poland will support Moldova in its aspirations for the European integration not only by verbal statements and encouragement, but by granting practical assistance, the Polish Foreign Minister, Radoslaw Sikorski, said on Friday in Chisinau, Info-Prim Neo reports. Before making statements for the press, Radoslaw Sikorski and his counterpart Andrei Stratan had signed a declaration on setting up the Polish-Moldovan Forum of the European Integration. The two officials have said they broached a series of subjects, stressing the issues related to Moldova's European integration and the steps to be made on the European path. Andrei Stratan has also appreciated Poland's position of principle concerning the settlement of the Transnistrian conflict. He has suggested there are shaping real prospects to settle the conflict and the issue of the EU's involvement in the post-unification period of the country becomes more and more timely. “Moldova should fully benefit from the Eastern Partnership and should make all the efforts to strengthen the relations with the EU countries. That's because Moldova is a European neighbor, not just a neighbor of Europe,” Radoslaw Sikorski underlined. He says Poland plans to make a group called “Friends for Moldova” within the EU. Poland and Sweden launched a so-called Eastern Partnership envisaging closer cooperation between the EU and Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan.