On January 27 and 28 in Madrid, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration Natalia Gherman participated in the seminar "The Future of Eastern Partnership: Challenges and Opportunities".

The Deputy Minister presented the position of the Republic of Moldova regarding the current state and prospects of the Moldovan-European cooperation in bilateral and multilateral aspects of the Eastern Partnership. Particular attention was paid to launched negotiations on a new Association Agreement with EU, negotiations on the setting up zones of deep and extended free trade, as well as on the introduction of the liberalised visa regime, as well as to the importance of macro-financial assistance from EU.

Natalia Gherman held a number of bilateral meetings with Spanish officials, including Secretary of State of Foreign Minister Ángel Lossada, representatives of the Ministry of Labor and of the consular services of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. They touched upon issues of the Moldovan-Spanish cooperation, especially in the context of the Spanish Presidency of the EU Council.

Spanish EU Presidency website: eu2010.es