Ciocoi at a Meeting with Schallenberg: Moldova Is Interested in Rapprochement with the EU

The progress in implementing the Association Agreement provisions, as well as the EU assistance in the fight against the pandemic crisis were discussed at a working meeting between Aureliu Ciocoi and his Austrian colleague Alexander Schallenberg. The Moldovan official noted the importance of deeper cooperation with the EU, as well as the need to revive the Eastern Partnership and endow this initiative with a new strategic vision that would reflect the growing ambitions of the associated countries. The Minister also confirmed the Republic of Moldova's interest in the results of the Eastern Partnership Summit to contribute to further rapprochement of the Eastern partners with the EU, ipn.md reports. During the meeting in Vienna the diplomats discussed topical issues on the bilateral agenda with an emphasis on political, economic and cultural cooperation, and also discussed ways to intensify high-level political dialogue in the future. The parties agreed to systematically hold consultations between the foreign ministries of the two countries in order to advance the current Moldovan-Austrian issues. The ministers exchanged views on topics of common interest in relation to the regional security situation, topics related to the settlement of the Transdniestrian conflict, as well as the global sanitary crisis. Acting Prime Minister touched upon the efforts of the Moldovan authorities to counter the negative sanitary, economic and social consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. In this context, Aureliu Ciocoi expressed deep gratitude on behalf of the government for the Austrian assistance on the bilateral track, as well as in the framework of the Team Europe solidarity response with numerous measures and initiatives to mitigate the devastating consequences of the pandemic. At the same time, the head of government asked the Austrian authorities to determine the possibility of donating or selling a batch of vaccines to the Republic of Moldova. Both sides expressed appreciation for the upward momentum of bilateral trade relations, as well as interest in further exploiting the real parameters of potential cooperation. In this regard, Aureliu Ciocoi informed the interlocutor about a productive discussion with a group of businessmen from Austria, organized at the initiative of the Austrian side. At the end of the discussions, the Moldovan Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration conveyed to Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg a personal invitation to pay an official visit to the Republic of Moldova. The invitation was accepted, and its details will be discussed through the diplomatic channels.