Moldova, Slovakia to extend cooperation in exports and fight against organised crime
The Moldovan and Slovak governments are to extend cooperation in exportation of goods and combating of organised crime.
In this respect, the Moldovan and Slovakian sides today signed an agreement on cooperation in combating organised crime and a programme of cooperation between the Moldovan Export Promotion Organisation and the Slovak Investment and Trade Development Agency. The signing ceremony took place within Slovak President Ivan Gasparovic's official visit to Moldova.
Giving a news conference after the signing ceremony, President Vladimir Voronin voiced hope that the relations set over the years between the two states will be on the rise after the current official visit. The head of state said that Moldova is satisfied with the current level of bilateral relations and thanked Slovakia for supporting its European integration process.
Voronin said that "there is much to be done, and we can do this ... only through mutual support at the level of European international institutions through the activities we have been promoting in relation with the EU". The Moldovan top leader thanked Slovakia for backing Moldova in the issue of the EU visa regime and for Slovakia's position of accepting Moldova among the countries enjoying EU trade preferences.
Asked by journalists to comment upon the current stage of implementing the Moldova-EU Action Plan, signed in 2005 and expiring in 2008, and upon Moldova's expectations once the document is completed, Voronin said that during his yesterday's visit to Luxembourg, "the European officials positively appreciated Moldova's efforts in many sectors. Yet, we still have some arrears which are to be removed by late 2007".
According to the Moldovan president, "this is the first plan, the first steps and we agreed to further prolong activities towards European integration" and the next month, a decision on the way of implementing this procedure will be taken.
For his part, Ivan Gasparovic said that the goal of his visit to Chisinau is to confirm the good relations between the two states and Slovakia's support for the development of Moldova's economic and political relations at the international and integrationist levels. In this respect, Gasparovic highlighted that over the last three years, the trade operations between the two states have tripled and that Moldova has the positive trade balance, yet, he said, in the future, Slovakia will try to change this state of things.
The high guest said that in political terms, Slovakia will back Moldova's European integration aspirations, specifying that his country is a backer of the idea that the larger the EU the stronger it will be. At the same time, Gasparovic said that Moldova's integration ambitions have been demonstrated at the local level as well through the promotion of economic reforms and social improvement, which shows that Moldova has all the right to become a new EU member in the near future.
The Slovak president named two basic conditions of utmost importance at this stage: 1.bringing in line all the criteria necessary for accession and 2. that the EU does not impede Moldova's ambitions of European integration. Also, Moldova should continue some reform processes and it should be aware of the reforms' results, he said. At the same time, the official added that for Moldova, it is necessary to strengthen the cross-border cooperation process. In this respect, he said that his country, gives up visa bail for Moldovan citizens starting tomorrow.
Moldova and Slovakia set diplomatic relations on 5 February 1993. So far, the two states have signed 14 bilateral treaties, 12 of which are in force and another two have expired.
This is the first ever visit paid by a Slovak President to Moldova. // Moldpres
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