​PRESIDENT DODON DISCUSSES BRUSSELS VISIT PROGRAM WITH EU AMBASSADORS

On Friday, Moldovan President Igor Dodon met with the Ambassadors of European Union member states accredited in Chisinau and discussed the program of his February 6-7 visit to Brussels with them.

According to the presidential press service, the interlocutors exchanged opinions on the processes taking place in the country and in its foreign policy, on how Moldova is realizing its Association Agreement concluded with European Union in 2014, and the shortcomings of this work.

The press service wrote that such meetings will now on be organized monthly to maintain a good dynamic of diplomatic relations and a constructive cooperation between the Republic of Moldova and foreign countries.

The presidential press service did not provide details of the conversation with the EU diplomats or of the forthcoming visit to Brussels. But as Infotag has learnt from other sources, some of the ambassadors called Igor Dodon to abstain from sharp sayings against the European Union or from statements concerning the need to denounce the Association Agreement. They made it clear that this may influence the level of the President’s forthcoming meetings in Brussels and, accordingly, their efficiency.

“We have learnt the President’s stance on important questions of the development of relations between Moldova and the European Union. This time, everything was not so emotional. Igor Dodon provided arguments for his position. The parties agreed that cooperation between Moldova and the European Union will be continued for the good of Moldova citizens. It is incorrect to say that the money provided by EU member countries was plundered out. In practically every Moldovan raion and in the Gagauzia autonomy, the local authorities have built and are continuing to build water lines, sewage systems, roads, repair schools and hospitals. Isn’t it in the people’s interests? And we talked about all this at the today’s meeting”, said one of its participants.

At his previous meeting with diplomats from EU member countries President Igor Dodon was much more critical towards the European Union. Explaining the removal of an EU flag from the facade of the Presidential Office in Chisinau, he made somewhat insulting sayings about the European Union.

“To please the Europeans, the incumbent authorities have hung out EU flags everywhere around, and have called themselves ‘Alliance for Euro-integration’. I guess that EU flags hanging on prisons, on the facades of corrupt Moldovan courts only discredit the European Union and its symbol. If I were in the EU leadership’s shoes, I would be outraged with this fact. Look, the EU symbol is hanging on every Moldovan pigpen!” explained Igor Dodon then, causing the EU ambassadors’ indignation.

The presidential administration has reported that an analogous meeting will be held shortly with the ambassadors from former Soviet republics accredited in Moldova. Out of FSU countries, only Russia, Belarus, Ukraine and Azerbaijan have opened embassies in Chisinau, as well as Latvia and Lithuania that are EU members.