Eurocommissaris Füle feliciteert nieuwe president van Moldavië (en)

I had the pleasure to meet today Nicolae Timofti and congratulate him on his recent election as President of the Republic of Moldova. It was a timely, useful and encouraging meeting.

We discussed domestic matters. In this context, we agreed that respect for the rule of law was fundamental. We also agreed how important it was to make all possible efforts to restore the cohesion of Moldovan society and to keep the reform process on track. I used the meeting as an opportunity to ask the President to strengthen the inclusivity of the reform process.

I raised the issue of the withdrawal of the broadcasting license of the television channel NIT and underlined the importance of a pluralistic media landscape. The outstanding issues must be solved and same norms should apply the to all media in Moldova.

We discussed as well our very active bilateral relations. I told the President that his country had a lot of support in the European Union, thanks to its policy of co-operation and harmonisation with the EU. While we are making good progress on our future Association Agreement and its deep and comprehensive free trade area, we are finalising a number of important sectoral agreements and exploring new areas for enhancing our co-operation, for instance in the field of security and defence operations. This shows how efficient our action in the Eastern Partnership can be, when it is underpinned by a pragmatic course of reforms in the partner country. I this context I expressed appreciation for the important role that Moldova plays in the Eastern Partnership.

We also touched upon Transnistria. I strongly encouraged the President to support the current efforts to build confidence and trust and defuse tensions on the ground. The resumption yesterday of freight rail transit is a telling example of what far-sighted political will can achieve through dialogue.