MINSK, 1 October (BelTA) – Moldova President Igor Dodon urged participants of the Yerevan session of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council to build a free trade zone between the Eurasian Economic Union and the European Union, TASS reports.
The president said in his speech during the session: “We hope that EAEU-EU negotiations on creating a large free trade zone will begin sooner or later.” He continued: “We support the idea of signing such an agreement. It would be a major breakthrough in promoting the concept of creating one Europe from Lisbon to Vladivostok. Moldova is a European country, which is geographically and geopolitically in the center of these processes.”
In his words, Moldova has experience the Eurasian Economic Union countries could be interested in. The head of state pointed out that Moldova has been implementing the agreement on free trade with the European Union for five years while enjoying free trade regimes with the CIS, Balkan countries, and Turkey.
Igor Dodon also spoke in favor of further integration of his country into bodies of the Eurasian Economic Union. “For Moldova participation in new integration projects such as the Eurasian Economic Union is a priority and a good opportunity to diversify its economic ties and markets for exporting goods and services,” the Moldovan president said.
Igor Dodon mentioned plans to more tightly cooperate with the Eurasian Economic Commission and its working bodies, to implement the agenda of cooperation with the Eurasian Economic Union on a larger scale and use all the opportunities for deeper cooperation that come with the observer country status. The president also mentioned Moldova's interest in cooperation with the Eurasian Development Bank. “We are talking not only about new and strategically important investment projects in my country, but the implementation of joint projects with countries of the Eurasian Economic Union,” he pointed out.
The president of Moldova also drew attention to the need to settle the matter of the country's permanent representative in the Eurasian Economic Commission and suggested Chisinau might hose some Eurasian Economic Union events.
The Moldovan government signed an association agreement with the European Union in 2014. The heads of state of the Eurasian Economic Union member states unanimously decided to grant observer status to Moldova upon Igor Dodon's request in May 2018.
