"We want to bring Moldova closer to the EU and to back you on this path," Austrian Federal Foreign Minister Michael Spindelegger has said at a meeting with Moldovan Foreign and European Integration Minister Iurie Leanca in Vienna.

The top diplomats hold comprehensive discussions on Moldova's participation in the Eastern Partnership, which, according to the Austrian side, will bring additional investments in Moldova. The officials also discussed ways to deepen bilateral relations, pointing out specific cooperation projects.

The sides agreed on the need to step up institutional capacities in order to secure progress in internal reforms. In the context, Minister Spindelegger praised the good cooperation between the Moldovan and Austrian interior ministries and pointed out Austria's possibilities of spurring cooperation between the finance ministries as well.

Referring to bilateral issues, Minister Iurie Leanca encouraged the Austrian side to open a diplomatic mission in Chisinau. He also voiced hope that "the bilateral relations between the two countries will be given a fresh impetus" after Michael Spindelegger's visit to Moldova scheduled for April 2010.