Latvian Foreign Minister in Moldova offers to share Latvia's experience

On 4-5 February, Foreign Minister Maris Riekstins was on an official visit to the Republic of Moldova. During the visit, Minister Riekstins met with senior Moldovan officials to discuss topical issues of bilateral co-operation, as well as relations between the European Union and Moldova and their future prospects.

During the meeting with the Moldovan Foreign Minister Andrei Stratan, the Moldovan side expressed interest in the transfer of Latvia's eurointegration experience. Minister Riekstins reiterated that Latvia will continue sharing its experience and providing assistance to Moldova, which is one of Latvia's priority countries in development co-operation. Minister Riekstins emphasized that during recent years, intensive co-operation has been taking place between the institutions of the two countries, both at senior official and expert level. The Latvian Foreign Minister also expressed his support for the course of reforms in the country as Moldova moves towards eurointegration.

During the meting with President Vladimir Voronin of Moldova, both parties discussed the possibility of organizing a meeting of Moldovan and Latvian Presidents in 2008. Minister Riekstins commended the concrete proposals put forward by the Moldovan President at the end of last year for the resolution of the conflict in Transnistria.  The Latvian Foreign Minister expressed his high estimation for the proposals put forward by President Voronin, and the President's wish to recommence, as soon as possible, conflict resolution negotiations in the 5+2 format (Moldova, Transnistria, Ukraine, OSCE and EU, and U.S.). Options for the resolution of the conflict were also discussed during the meeting between Mr Riekstins and Vasile Sova, Reintegration Minister of Moldova.

At the conclusion of the visit, Minister Maris Riekstins and Marian Lupu, Speaker of the Parliament of Moldova discussed parliamentary co-operation between both countries. Marian Lupu informed about the visit by a group of deputies of Moldovan Parliament to the Saeima of the Republic of Latvia in December 2007, and attested that Latvia was a partner of strategic significance for Moldova. 

(end of text)