Moldovan, German officials address bilateral cooperation, European integration

The chairman of the parliamentary commission for foreign and European integration, Igor Corman and the chairman of Germany´s European Affairs Committee, Gunther Krichbaum, who paid a visit to Moldova, held a news conference on March 6, the parliament’s communication and public relations department has reported.

Corman specified that the main topic of discussions held with Gunther Krichbaum in Chisinau was the Moldovan-German ties, which, in his opinion, were very consistent. This dialogue has been fostered over the past years, culminating with the visit of German Chancellor Angela Merkel to Moldova, in August 2012.

Corman also praised the fostering of the inter-parliamentary relations between the two states, referring to the Moldovan-German forum’s activity within the German Bundestag, created in March 2009, as well as of the one within the Moldovan parliament, created in April 2010, which had become efficient platforms in promoting the Moldovan-German interests and ties in various fields.

The sides also approached Moldova’s European path and the prospects of signing an association agreement with the EU, as well as the overcoming of the current political crisis.

Corman informed about the fact that the German European Affairs Committee, led by Gunther Krichbaum, was going to hold hearings regarding Moldova’s European agenda.

Gunther Krichbaum welcomed the meeting of the leaders of the ruling Alliance for European Integration (AIE) held in the morning and expressed hope that the political crisis would be quickly overcome, and that the democratic forces would continue interior reforms and Moldova’s European path. Krichbaum said that it would be for the benefit of citizens, who were waiting to solve their daily problems. «I cannot see another alternative for the current coalition, provided that Moldova wishes European integration,» Krichbaum said.

Krichbaum believed that, in the created situation, the best solution would be to reach a compromise and to avoid snap elections. In his opinion, snap elections would generate a delay in the process of reforms implementation and in the one of Moldova’s European integration.

Referring to the prospects of signing an association agreement with the EU, the officials emphasized that the negotiations and the work on this document fit into the terms set by Chisinau and Brussels and no delay existed to this end. At the same time, the officials drew the attention to the fact that the efforts should not focus on the document´s date and place of signing, but on its content and functionality.

Krichbaum reiterated that Germany would continue to back Moldova’s efforts as regards its European integration aspirations and said that we were not alone on this path.

Adapted from Moldpres