2023-05-16 17:18:59
President of the National Council Sobotka on a visit to the Republic of Moldova
Vienna (PK) – Vienna/Chișinău (PK) – During a trip abroad to the Republic of Moldova, the President of the National Council, Wolfgang Sobotka, met the Speaker of the Moldovan Parliament, Igor Grosu, today. In exchange, Sobotka discussed the war once morest Ukraine and its consequences for Moldova. Austria’s unwavering support for sovereignty and territorial integrity applies to the Republic of Moldova, emphasized the President of the National Council. Austria supports Moldova on its way to the European Union. However, it is important to treat all candidate countries equally and not to leave the Western Balkan countries behind.
Sobotka held further talks with Prime Minister Dorin Recean, Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry Vladimir Bolea and Minister of Foreign Affairs and EU Integration Nicu Popescu. The President of the National Council also met Ion Groza, Deputy Head of the Committee on Foreign Policy and European Integration, and representatives of the Parliamentary Friendship Group Moldova-Austria.
Bilateral relations: Austria is on Moldova’s side
Austria stands by the Republic of Moldova in many ways, emphasized National Council President Sobotka in the talks with the Moldovan politicians. Moldova has been a priority country for Austrian development cooperation since 2004. The focus would be on regional development and access to the labor market with a focus on vocational training. They also cooperate in the field of agriculture and rural development. On an economic level, Austria is among the TOP 10 foreign investors. Around 30 companies are active in Moldova and provide around 2,350 jobs. Sobotka was pleased that the bilateral trade volume had increased by 3.2% to €122 million in 2022. However, there is definitely potential for further intensifying economic cooperation, said Sobotka. In addition, there is a lively bilateral exchange of visits at government and parliamentary level as well as on cultural relations.
War once morest Ukraine: situation delicate for Moldova
Austria’s unwavering support for its sovereignty and territorial integrity applies to the Republic of Moldova, declared National Council President Sobotka and renewed Austria’s position on Russia’s war once morest Ukraine in the talks. This war of aggression must be condemned as illegal, unjustified and unprovoked. During the talks, Sobotka inquired regarding the assessment of the current situation. Austria is very aware of the delicate situation in the Republic of Moldova and Russia’s potential for destabilization and threats, emphasized Sobotka and paid tribute to the clear Moldovan position towards the Russian war of aggression. The President of the National Council was also interested in the population’s perception of the war and the effects of the high number of refugees. Moldova took in a very large number of Ukrainian refugees in an impressive manner of solidarity. Austria supports these efforts. Since the beginning of the Russian war of aggression, humanitarian aid has been supported with a total of €18.2 million. In order to defuse the difficult situation, Austria had also agreed to accept 2,000 Ukrainian refugees from Moldova.
Austria supports Moldova on its way to the EU
The Eastern Partnership and the Western Balkans are priority regions for both the Republic of Austria and the Austrian Parliament. Bringing these countries closer to the EU is therefore an important concern. Austria therefore fully supports Moldova’s desire for EU membership, stressed Sobotka. The candidate status is an important sign of solidarity and support in these very difficult times. Moldova is making progress in implementing the EU Commission’s reform recommendations. It is important to continue to push this forward, as this is the only way to make progress on the European path. However, the EU reform process is not a race, the quality of the reforms is more important than the speed, said the President of the National Council. Equal treatment of all accession candidates is important to Austria. The Western Balkans partners should not be left behind in favor of Moldova and Ukraine’s accession, Sobotka demanded.
At the end, the trip abroad was rounded off with an exchange on the situation of the Jewish religious community and a visit to the Concordia Foundation. (close) pst
A NOTICE: Photos from this visit can be found in the Parliament web portal .
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