Moldovan foreign affairs minister meets EU commissioner

Chisinau, 21 March /MOLDPRES/ - Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Affairs and European Integration Minister Nicu Popescu, during his working visit to Brussels, today discussed with European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Olivér Várhelyi priority subjects on the agenda of the Moldova-EU dialogue, the Foreign Affairs and European Integration Ministry’s (MAEIE) press service has reported.      
„I referred to the application on accession to the European Union, submitted by Moldova, and the steps due to be undertaken by the European Commission for the working out of the opinion requested by the EU Council. I stressed the full understanding by the authorities of the complexity of the accession process. At the same time, I pointed out that the full and irreversible integration of Moldova in EU represents the only viable way for the country’s development,’’ Deputy PM Nicu Popescu said.   
In the discussion with the European official, the Moldovan diplomacy head informed about the impact of the war in Ukraine on Moldova, noting that the country had received more than 360,000 refugees since the beginning of the war and about 100,000 are still on the territory of Moldova. In the context, the Moldovan official thanked for the quick response by Team Europe to the requests of humanitarian assistance by the national authorities, both bilaterally and through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. The sides also discussed the needs of assistance to strengthen Moldova’s resilience in the current crisis and the related effects.  
At the same time, Nicu Popescu stressed the need of non-refundable financial assistance on behalf of EU, in order to attenuate the social and economic impact on Moldova, including as a result of the need to improve the economy and diminish the impact of the sanitary and energy crisis on the country.  
„At the same time, I expressed gratitude for the quick advancement of the adoption of the package of macro-financial assistance and implementation of the Regional Plan of Economic Investments, which will contribute to the consolidation of Moldova’s resilience in the social and economic sectors,’’ Nicu Popescu added.   
Photo: MAEIE