Vladimir Voronin to pay visit to Sweden

President Vladimir Voronin will pay an official visit to the Kingdom of Sweden in the period on April 17-19. The Moldovan delegation will also include a group of local businessmen which will participate in the works of the “Globe Forum”, held at that moment in Stockholm. 10 Swedish companies: Ericsson, Plannja, Lindab, ABB, SCA, Tetra Pak, TeliaSonera, Fält TCI SRL, Mrs. Hagar Lövgren have participated in the Moldovan-Swedish Economic Symposium, held during the visit to Moldova of Gunilla Carlsson, the Swedish Minister of Development Cooperation. The seminar aimed at intensifying and diversifying bilateral trade and economic cooperation and at identifying new joint projects for boosting Moldovan-Swedish trade exchange. The volume of trade between Moldova and Sweden in 2006 registered an increase, compared to previous years, totalling USD 15 mln. From 1996 up to now, the Swedish Government provided about USD 30 mln to Moldova for funding 88 projects, of which 68 are completed, while another 20 underway. The projects aimed at strengthening human rights protection, democracy, good governance, public health, education, agriculture, energy, cadastre, infrastructure, transport and private sector etc. Recently Sweden adopted a Strategy for Cooperation with Moldova for 2007-2010, whose assistance volume is estimated at EUR 11 mln annually. The Strategy aims at implementing reforms in three main sectors: good governance, consolidation of competitiveness in rural area and reduction of energy vulnerability.