Moldova's president, parliamentary delegation of Norway discuss Moldovan-Norwegian cooperation

Chisinau, 20 November /MOLDPRES/ - President Maia Sandu today discussed with the members of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence of Norway’s parliament, on a visit to Chisinau, the presidential press service has reported.
The head of state emphasized the friendship relations, as well as the consolidation of the support on behalf of Norway on the crisis period, including in the context of the war in Ukraine.   
This year, the Moldovan president had more meetings with Prime Minister of Norway, Jonas Gahr Støre, within multilateral platforms: on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, at the meeting of the European Political Community and at the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.   
In 2023, Norway allocated to Moldova financial assistance worth 500 million Norwegian krones (about 42 million euros) within the Nansen Programme for backing Ukraine and Moldova. The funds are directed through the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and World Bank, in order to finance projects on energy efficiency and help the citizens cope with the challenges triggered by the war in Ukraine.      
President Maia Sandu also highlighted the importance of the bilateral economic relations and the perspectives to consolidate them through the ratification of the free trade agreement with the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), including by the Norwegian parliament. This agreement will give Moldovan producers access to new export markets, will stimulate the exports and will open new opportunities for the bilateral trade.