On Tuesday, the EU’s foreign ministers and the foreign ministers from the six countries involved in the Eastern Partnership are to meet. It is the first meeting of foreign ministers for the Partnership since its launch in May. Here, Moldovan Minister for Foreign Affairs and European Integration Iurie Leanca speaks of Moldova’s expectations for the Partnership and the meeting.

In addition to the EU and Moldova, the Eastern Partnership includes Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Ukraine and Belarus. The Partnership involves economic cooperation, work for human rights, democracy development and support for reforms. The meeting, which is to be held in Brussels, will address how the implementation of the Partnership has fared since its launch in May and what forms the continued work should take.

"To Moldova, the most important element of the Partnership is the continued strengthening of relations with the EU, the opportunities for an Association Agreement, a free trade agreement and visa liberalisation", says Minister for Foreign Affairs Iurie Leanca.

Better future

Moldova has approximately 4 million inhabitants. The country is situated just east of Romania and thus  borders on the EU. Mr Leanca explains that Moldova is emerging from a difficult economic and political time.

"We have gone from authoritarian rule to democracy, we have many problems to resolve and we need help in order to do this. Many Moldovans have left the country as there has been no future for them here. But we hope that closer relations with the EU will contribute to economic development and political stability. Then our citizens can have a better future and people will be able to return."

The EU too can benefit from the Partnership

Foreign Minister Leanca believes that the EU can benefit from having stable and prosperous neighbours. "And by creating stability and economic development, the influx of migrants and smuggling will be curbed."The countries involved in the Partnership vary greatly in, for example, size and political situation, but this is not something Foreign Ministers Leanca looks upon as a problem. "The Partnership stipulates differentiated treatment. The countries all have different populations, territories and problems. But that is also the case within the EU, all countries in the Union are different, but the regional approach works."

The meeting

At the meeting on Tuesday, Foreign Minister Leanca has the ambition to discuss projects within the areas of border control, energy efficiency and institutional capacity building. "We want to use all opportunities granted to us by the Partnership. Moldova may be the smallest of the Partnership countries, but we want to become a role model for how the Partnership is to be implemented and we want to move in the right direction."

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EU Presidency / EC / Armenia / Azerbaijan / Belarus / Georgia / Moldova / Ukraine concluding press conference [08.12.2009] [00:27:22] [English]

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