Estonian diplomat says Moldova's future - in European Union

Chisinau, 4 Jan. /MOLDPRES/- Deputy Prime Minister Nicu Popescu, Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration paid a working visit to Estonia at the invitation of his Estonian counterpart, Urmas Reinsalu.
According to the MAEIE press service, the officials' discussions focused on bilateral cooperation relations, the reform agenda implemented by the Chisinau authorities and closer integration with the European Union.
Popescu thanked Estonia for support in obtaining EU candidate country status for the Republic of Moldova and emphasized that despite the security risks brought by Russia's brutal war against Ukraine, the authorities are working on the recommendations of the European Commission and carrying out reforms in priority areas such as justice and the fight against corruption.
"I also spoke with my counterpart about the consequences of the war for our country, especially in terms of energy security and hybrid threats. Our country will continue to receive EU support for strengthening the defense and security sector through the European Peace Facility. We will cooperate more closely, including to increase the capabilities of our institutions to deal with hybrid threats, strengthen cyber security and ensure the digitization of processes.
I said that this year's organization of the 2nd meeting of the European Political Community in the Republic of Moldova will provide the necessary platform for deepening the dialogue on security and regional cooperation", declared the Moldovan official.
The Foreign Ministers signed at the headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia two jubilee envelopes to mark the 30th anniversary of the establishment of Moldovan-Estonian diplomatic relations on November 10, 1992.
The Republic of Moldova continues to be a priority country in the Development Cooperation Assistance Program, over the years we have been offered more than 10 million euros to carry out more than 260 projects aimed at rural development, strengthening the education sector, good governance and supporting small and medium enterprises.
The past year, Estonia participated in three donors' conferences within the Moldova Support Platform providing direct budgetary assistance as well as support for the management of the Ukrainian refugee crisis.
In the official program in Tallinn, Deputy Prime Minister Nicu Popescu also had meetings with high-ranking Estonian officials, representatives of analytical centers and local journalists.
With Hanno Pevkur, Minister of Defense of Estonia, Popescu discussed ways to strengthen the bilateral dialogue in the field of security and defense against the background of the multiple security challenges to which our country is exposed.
In the discussion with Andres Sutt, the president of the Parliamentary Commission for Foreign Affairs and Enn Eesmaa, the vice-president of the commission, the Moldovan official established the need to intensify the parliamentary dialogue and achieve a more dynamic exchange of expertise in order to support the irreversible European path of our country.
At the meeting with Indrek Kannik, director of the International Center for Security and Defense and Kristi Raik, head of the foreign affairs program within the center, Popescu discussed the bilateral dimension of the relationship with Estonia, the current security context generated by the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, the energy and humanitarian crisis as well as about the firm direction of our country's accession to the European Union.
Next, Popescu is to pay a visit to Riga.