20 October

At his meeting today with Moldovan Prime Minister Vladimir Filat and Moldovan Foreign Minister Iurie Leanca, Foreign Minister Urmas Paet recognised Moldova for carrying out reforms that bring it closer to the European Union and confirmed that Estonia will continue to co-operate closely with Moldova.

Foreign Minister Paet stated that Estonia supports Moldova’s economic integration with the European Union. “We hope that negotiations for a free trade agreement will begin soon. We are also in favour of making rapid progress in the visa facilitation process with Moldova, which would give momentum for the implementation of more reforms,” he noted.

Paet asserted that Moldova’s clear choice to move in the direction of European Union integration has given Estonia an opportunity to share its reform experience with Moldova and focus bilateral co-operation on helping the nation through projects to increase the administrative capacity of the public sector, the creation of an e-state system, and through environmental and education projects. As an example, the foreign minister added that this week Moldovan officials are participating in a conflict negotiation training course at the Estonian Centre of Eastern Partnership in Tallinn.

The Transnistria conflict was also addressed during their meeting. Estonia feels that the OSCE’s intermediation and the EU’s active involvement are important to resolving the issue.