Next NB8 summit may be held in Moldova

Moldova is intending to host a summit of the Nordic Baltic 8 organization in Chisinau in 2014, Moldovan Parliament Chairman Igor Corman said on Monday during his meeting with the Speaker of the Riksdag [parliament] of Sweden, Per Westerberg, who is paying a working visit to Moldova.     

Corman told a press briefing afterwards that the Riksdag Chairman’s visit was timed to completion of the program of assistance to consolidate democratic parliamentarianism in Moldova.   

“We discussed the possibility of organizing in Chisinau in 2014 a meeting in the format of the Nordic Baltic Eight. Over last year, Sweden, being a NB8 initiative coordinator, has been placing accent on the development of Eastern Partnership in the run-up to the Vilnius Summit, and we are relying on Sweden’s further support for our European aspirations”, said Speaker Corman.    

In his words, Sweden has provided to Moldova 32 million euros for 16 projects in the fields of human rights, gender equality, democracy, infrastructure development, decentralization.

Per Westerberg said he would like to see Moldova an inseparable part of Europe with the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (DCFTA) signed and with a visa regime liberalized. For this, however, Moldova must meet all of the conditions set before it, and “I think this can be done in the nearest future”.        

Dossier:  The Nordic Baltic 8 project has been created within the perspectives of a closer cooperation between Northern European and Baltic States. The said 8 nations are Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Iceland. 

 Adapted from infotag.md