Moldova does not set ties with Russia in opposition to EU integration

Moldova values relations with Russia and does not set these ties in opposition to integration with the European Union, Prime Minister Iurie Leanca told Itar-Tass ahead of Independence Day marked in the republic on August 27. “The level of our cooperation and ties with the Russian Federation is high, and we seek to continue developing it in a mutually advantageous way. The program of our government confirms that cooperation with Russia is one of priorities,” the prime minister said. He also noted that modernization and not geopolitics was the key priority in its European integration. “We don’t regard ourselves as a geopolitical player or a geopolitical support point. As a common European country with efficient institutions, as a predictable and stable partner with an attractive investment climate, Moldova fully meets the tasks of regional security,” he said. “This is in the interests of both Russia and the European Union,” he added, noting that Moldova’s cooperation with Russia and the CIS was a major foundation for multilateral relations and was economically advantageous for the republic. “Participation in the Commonwealth of Independent States does not contradict Moldova’s European choice, while the European integration does not envisage a decline in the level of relations within the CIS,” Iurie Leanca said. “The level of economic relations within CIS is growing. In 2012 Moldova’s exports to CIS countries reached a record high of 928 million dollars. This is a 40-percent growth since the financial and economic crisis of 2008-2009,” the prime minister said. “It is important for us to intensify channels of dialogue with Russian colleagues and inform them directly. The recent visit to Moscow by Moldova’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration Natalia Gherman was another step in that direction that enabled us to continue a constructive dialogue,” he said. “It is of fundamental importance that we received pledges from Moscow that it respected our choice to reform the country to a EU model and saw no major threats in that,” the prime minister added. “The level of our ties will not decline, as it has deep roots. Moldova is a country where the rights of the Russian-speaking population are ensured, and this objective factor makes it possible to create an atmosphere of accord in the society,” the prime minister summed up.