Moldova today hosts most important political event in its history - Summit of European Political Community

Chisinau, 1 June /MOLDPRES/ - Moldova today hosts the most important political event in its history - the Summit of the European Political Community (EPC Summit). About 50 heads of state, prime minister and high-ranking European officials bring together in Moldova to discuss about peace, security, energy and connectivity. The event is regarded as a historical one, as such a far-reaching diplomatic meeting is organized in the country for the first time ever.   

The EPC Summit takes place at the Mimi Castle Viticultural and Wine-making Complex, which becomes the ‘’centre of Europe’’ for one day. The summit’s organization in Moldova was described by more officials as a proof of the country’s European integration way and a confirmation that Moldova is not alone.  

Over 20 foreign delegations landed at the Chisinau International Airport on 31 May evening. Among the first officials who arrived there were European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, High Representatives of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell, the head of the European diplomacy, Charles Michel, the presidents of Switzerland, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Azerbaijan, as well as the prime ministers of Georgia, Portugal, Belgium, Armenia, Luxembourg, Iceland.    

Under the event’s agenda, at 10:00, President Maia Sandu will meet the official delegations at the Mimi Castle. The procedure will last two hours. The official ceremony on the starting of the event will take place at 12:00 and will last about 30 minutes. Subsequently, the leaders will make a common photograph. The agenda will continue with the meetings of the working groups. The bilateral meetings between the leaders present at the event are scheduled to be held in the afternoon.   

The authorities informed that the event’s security was ensured by the competent institutions of Moldova, with the support of colleagues from other countries. The security measures are set gradually and have an enhanced level of flexibility, so that the inconveniences for the citizens are as reduced as possible. Traffic restrictions will be imposed in Chisinau today and the country’s air space will be closed.

About 700 journalists from different states will provide the event’s publicizing.  The Moldovan diplomacy head, Nicu Popescu, has earlier said that more actions and announcements dealing directly with Moldova would take place at the Summit. In this respect, on the eve of the EPC Summit, Moldova and the European Union in Chisinau signed an agreement on the liberalization of the roaming tariffs and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen informed about a new package of support for Moldova worth about 1.6 billion euros.    

The European Political Community is a pan-European governmental forum set up in 2022, at an initiative by President of France Emmanuel Macron, following Russia’s invasion in Ukraine. The forum brings together European leaders, in order to discuss and identify solutions to the most urgent problems of Europe, such as security, stability and energy resilience. The first summit of the European Political Community was held in Prague, Czech Republic, last year and the next meeting will be organized in Spain in autumn 2023.