Joint declaration by foreign affairs ministers of Moldova, France

Chisinau, 2 September /MOLDPRES/ - On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the proclamation of Moldova’s Independence on 27 August, we, Nicu Popescu, Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Affairs and European Integration Minister of Moldova and Jean-Yves Le Drian, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France, who met in Chisinau on 2 September, reaffirm the depth of the relations which have been uniting the two countries during 30 years and our common determination to strengthen this relation in the next years.     

Since the visit to Paris, paid by Moldova’s President Maia Sandu in February 2021, and her meeting with President of France Emmanuel Macron, France and Moldova have worked for achieving concrete progress and lay the foundations of a consolidated relation, which might bring benefits to the population and enterprises from our two countries:      

* We are happy with the decision by the French Development Agency (AFD) on the operation in Moldova, which will consolidate the French contribution to the implementation of public policies and sustainable development in three sectors: re-afforestation and irrigation, water and sewerage supply, energy. AFD will organize a mission to identify projects in September and the feasibility studies will start soon. As a matter of fact, Proparco, a branch of AFD, prepares to provide a loan to this effect to a Moldovan institution specialized in micro-credits for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).     

* We re-affirm the full importance for the consolidation of the rule of law state in Moldova and in this context, France re-affirms its support for the reforms’ agenda proposed by the new Moldovan government. The Expertise France Agency will continue to actively participate in the action of EU (Team Europe) for backing the justice reform. A high-level French expert will soon be detached to Moldova’s presidential administration.   

* We also welcome the commitment of cooperation between the High Authority for Transparency in Public Life (HATVP) and the National Integrity Authority (ANI), as well as the visit by the director of the French Anticorruption Agency, in order to carry out a technical mission in Moldova, scheduled for next October.   

* We welcome the commitment of France, jointly with Moldovan NGOs, for the support of the press freedom through the implementation of programmes on training Moldovan journalists who are focused on the fight against misinforming.    

* To facilitate the development of the bilateral relations, we want the procedures launched in last February to be finished as soon as possible, especially the singing of the Convention on the avoidance of double taxation, initialed in February 2021 and quick finishing of the negotiation of a new bilateral convention in the social security sector. These agreements will allow the advancement of our economic relations and facilitating the work of French companies, mobilized to back Moldova in the carrying out of its development priorities and needs of investments. France remains also open to facilitate the carrying out of the project on the renovation of the Chisinau-Ungheni railway by a consortium of French companies. At the same time, new French companies plan new investments in the tourism and distribution sectors.  

* We reaffirm our attachment as to the teaching of the French language in Moldova, a member country of the International Organization of La Francophonie (IOF), and we want to give a new impetus to the bilingual Francophone education in Moldova, especially through consolidating the local French presence, in order to re-foster the Francophone network and backing the training of Moldovan teachers, as well as through a policy of giving the Francophone status to new bilingual lyceums and providing mobility scholarships to teachers.   

* France and Moldova reaffirm their full solidarity in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic. We welcome the support provided to Moldova by the European Union to fight against the virus, as well as to cope with the social and economic consequences of this global crisis.    

France reaffirms its full support for Moldova’s stability, strengthening its rule of law state, fighting against corruption and consolidating the democracy, beneficial transformations for the European stability and necessary for the implementation of the Association Agreement between Moldova and the European Union. France remained involved within the Team Europe, in order to contribute to the carrying out of European projects. We emphasize the importance of the French-Moldovan relation in the process of Moldova’s rapprochement with the EU’s practices and standards.     

France reaffirms its firm support for Moldova’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders and backs the efforts undertaken in the 5+2 format under the OSCE aegis, in order to achieve a comprehensive, lasting and peaceful solution to the conflict from the Transnistrian region.    

France and Moldova agreed on continuing the political changes for the EU’s Eastern Partnership Summit, scheduled for next December and the forthcoming French Presidency of the European Union in the first half of 2022.  

photo: Foreign Affairs and European Integration Ministry