Speaker held talks with counterparts from Italy, France and Türkiye

On the sidelines of the European Conference of Speakers of the Council of Europe member states, Speaker Igor Grosu held bilateral meetings with his counterparts from Italy, France and Türkiye. The discussions focused on parliamentary cooperation, strengthening relations and supporting the Republic of Moldova’s European path.

In Rome, Grosu met with Lorenzo Fontana, President of the Chamber of Deputies of the Italian Parliament. The Speaker expressed his gratitude for the continued support provided to the Republic of Moldova’s modernisation efforts and received assurances of Italy’s support for our country in advancing its European agenda.

Another topic discussed during the meeting with the President of the Chamber of Deputies of the Italian Parliament was the ratification of the Social Security Agreement. “This is an agreement that our citizens in Italy have been waiting for for decades. Such gestures strengthen the sincere friendship between our countries and recognise the enormous contribution of our diaspora in Italy,” Igor Grosu emphasised.

The Speaker also met with Yaël Braun-Pivet, President of the French National Assembly. The discussions focused on Moldovan-French cooperation, support for the European path, as well as the challenges facing the Republic of Moldova that must be overcome to ensure citizens’ access to gas and energy, especially during the winter. Igor Grosu also highlighted the vote by French parliamentarians on the recognition of driving licences and underlined the next objective—advancing the agreement on social protection by late 2026.

“The Republic of Moldova has officially opened four clusters of negotiations for accession to the European Union. We are continuing the reforms and fulfilling every condition on merit. We are counting on France’s support to take the next steps and open the last two clusters by the end of the year,” Igor Grosu said during his meeting with Yaël Braun-Pivet.

During his meeting with Numan Kurtulmuş, President of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye, Igor Grosu discussed the situation in the Gagauz autonomous region and the elections in the region, which are due to take place soon. In this context, the Speaker invited Turkish MPs to participate in the election as observers. “It is important for us that the region develops in peace and stability, as an integral part of the Republic of Moldova, while preserving and promoting its Gagauz identity, language and culture,” he added.

On 15–16 October, Grosu is in the Italian Republic, where he is participating in the EU Speakers Conference. The event brings together more than 70 presidents and vice-presidents of parliaments from the 46 Council of Europe member states, as well as more than 500 delegates. This year’s discussions focus on three main topics: hybrid threats to resilient democracies, artificial intelligence and the labour market, and the role of parliaments in managing contemporary crises.

Communication and Public Relations Department of the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova