MOLDOVAN PRESIDENT SAYS 2019 WILL BE YEAR OF MOLDOVA IN RUSSIA, AND 2020 - YEAR OF RUSSIA IN MOLDOVA

Speaking at Moscow State University on Thursday, President Igor Dodon announced that 2019 will be The Year of Moldova in Russia and 2020 - The Year of Russia in Moldova.

"Together with Russian President Vladimir Putin, we have agreed that this should serve the supporting and developing of all sorts of cultural and humanitarian exchanges between our peoples", said Igor Dodon.

"Our nations have a common historic memory that crystallized for centuries of our common hardships and joint victories. Despite all the problems of last decades in the Moldo-Russian relations, Russia has remained a state that wants to build mutually beneficial, strategic inter-state relations with Moldova in the interests of the two peoples", said the Moldovan President.

"It is my conviction that Moldova and Russia will undertake extra efforts to deepen and broaden our strategic partnership based on the principles of independence, sovereignty, equality and territorial integrity of the states, mutual respect and mutual benefits. We can see that Russia, being one of the world powers, has a significant influence on general world processes in the sphere of global security, in questions of forming a fair international order and a multi-polar world. In case of need, we can unite efforts for efficient responding to modern challenges, to which we can attribute e.g. the manifestations of realistic threats to the very existence of the Moldovan State", said Igor Dodon.

On Thursday evening, the Moldovan President accomplished his two-day official visit to the Russian Federation.