On 9 November, 2023, Riga hosted political consultations between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Latvia and Moldova. The Latvian delegation was headed by Andžejs Viļumsons, Under Secretary-Political Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the delegation of Moldova, by Vladimir Cuc, State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration.
The officials discussed the integration of Moldova with the EU, related reforms to be carried out, as well as the country’s alignment with the EU’s common foreign and security policy. Latvia welcomed the European Commission’s positive assessment of the work already done by Moldova and expressed its support for Moldova’s EU integration, highlighting in particular a supportive position by Latvia concerning the decision, expected in December, on launching accession negotiations with Moldova.
The meeting also addressed bilateral relations between Latvia and Moldova, including the enhancement of the legal framework and interinstitutional cooperation. The Latvia and Moldovan delegations welcomed the dynamic bilateral cooperation, in particular, the exchange of high-level visits, while expressing their determination to further deepen current cooperation by extending it to cover new areas of cooperation.
The partners also discussed the security situation in Moldova and Moldova’s cooperation with NATO and other international organisations. The officials exchanged views on issues high on the global and regional agenda, including Russia’s war in Ukraine. Andžejs Viļumsons informed the Moldovan delegation about the Latvian Government’s decision to allocate EUR 50,000 to Moldova towards promoting Moldova’s energy resilience in support of the country in overcoming the energy crisis caused by Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.
As part of the visit, Vladimir Cuc and officials from the Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs discussed the issues of EU sanctions policy; he also met with the foreign affairs advisers to the Speaker of the Saeima and the Prime Minister.
Previous political consultations between Latvia and Moldova took place online in 2020.
