Prime Minister Pavel Filip, on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, held in the capital of Bavaria on these days, along with European Commissioner for Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn, the head of the Russian State Duma’s Foreign Policy Committee, Konstantin Kosachev and Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan, have participated in a session of discussions on the country’s development vector in the geopolitical context and the main foreign policy concerns of Moldova.

According to the government’s communication and protocol department, Premier Pavel Filip said that one of the most often heard characterization of the present situation is the unpredictability. This triggers lack of confidence in institutions and rules, political disorientation, discourages foreign investments, which affects the economic growth.  

A state of incertitude hangs over the Eastern Europe and all countries of the region face a string of similar problems. This first category deals with domestic problems, such as the structural reforms, strengthening the democratic institutions, fight against corruption, poverty reduction, infrastructure’s modernization. The second category of problems, according to the prime minister, is caused by the fact that the main lines of division between the East and West pass through the Eastern Europe. And the third category, closely connected to the previous one, deals with each country’s relations with Russia. 

Besides the aforementioned problems, there is also the fourth category, which fuels the general state of uncertainty – and namely the lack of a strategic direction of development for this region.

‘’Moldova is confronting with all these problems to a different extent; yet, it tries to solve or diminish them. We promote an ambitious agenda of reforms, based on the Association Agreement with EU,’’ Pavel Filip stressed.

Referring to Moldova’s relations with Russia, the Prime Minister said that this is a complicated file. ‘’We want a balanced, friendly relation with Moscow. A relation in which our commercial cooperation will not be politicized and the dialogue will be based on mutual respect,’’ Pavel Filip said. A relation in which we will see a true wish to help for the settlement of the Transnistrian conflict and to withdraw the military forces and ammunitions from Moldova. 

In the end of his speech, the Premier said that, in late 2018, parliamentary polls would be held in Moldova and the authorities would do everything necessary to ensure the free and fair character of this ballot.  

Pavel Filip emphasized that it was in the joint interest to do in such a way, so that the situation in the Eastern Europe region is as predictable and stable as possible. The main role in achieving this goal belongs to the eastern European countries themselves – they should become more prosperous and consolidate their resilience to the domestic and external challenges.