Cyprus will remain a steadfast supporter of Moldova in terms of its European path, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Constantinos Kombos said on Monday following his meeting with the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Moldova, Mihai Pop?oi.
In his statements, Kombos also extended Cyprus’s firm support for the solution of the Transnistrian issue and its full respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Moldova.
According to the Foreign Minister, this following the visits of the President of the Republic to Moldova the visit of the Moldovan President to Cyprus, the honorary consulate of Moldova will be inaugurated today in Nicosia.
‘These are important steps forward that frame the discussions we just had, discussions that focused on the bilateral aspect. We agree that there is considerable space for growth in terms of the institutional framework. There are pending MoUs that we hope to be able to conclude quite soon. There is also potential in terms of trade. We have in the past significant movement in terms of foreign direct investment, which we should try to replicate and facilitate’, he continued.
He added that the two Ministers had the opportunity to discuss about what unites the two countries. ‘This is our shared principles and values, our commitment to public international law, to the sovereignty, territorial integrity of all states, and for both of us this is something that is deeply significant and important’, he stressed, thanking Pop?oi for his country’s strong support to Cyprus as regards the situation it is facing with Turkey and the occupation of a third of the island.
Kombos said that the two men also discussed the European path for Moldova, which is now at a very critical point. ‘I reassured the Minister that Cyprus will remain a steadfast supporter of Moldova in terms of its European path. We strongly believe that you have done an amazing job in terms of the reforms that you have put into place and this is something that we have seen first-hand during our presidency of the Council’, he continued.
‘We are urging you to continue on this difficult track, but it is the only way forward that will lead to the European family. In that effort, rest assured that Cyprus and the Republic of Cyprus will be next to you, by your side, and helpful in any way possible’, he stressed.
In closing, the Foreign Minister extended Cyprus’s firm support for the solution of the Transnistrian issue and its full respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Moldova.
For his part, Pop?oi said the bonds between the two countries have gotten even deeper during the Cyprus presidency of the EU Council.
‘The way you were able to influence Moldova’s history by contributing significantly to Moldova opening the first chapters and clusters of negotiation will go down forever in the history of our bilateral relations,” he noted.
“The leadership that your country took, given our shared challenges, but also given how much value you have received from the European Union and how keenly you understand the benefits of the European Union, the fact that you felt this solidarity with us and were able to support us in this process, we will be forever grateful for this’, he underlined.
‘The fact that our two countries have had such a strong partnership is really a validation and vindication of the old saying that a friend in need is a friend indeed and Cyprus has been there for the Republic of Moldova and we will be happy to stand by Cyprus including when it comes to your territorial integrity, we have similarities here as well’, he further noted, adding that Moldova is a big supporter and proponent of international law, multilateralism and UN resolutions that address the issue.
‘We will work tirelessly to make sure that we bring Moldova into the European family of nations because this is the choice of this generation. Moldovans have voted loud and clear in the EU referendum to be part of the European family of nations and we have no other choice than to deliver. And it is thanks to real friends, like the Cyprus leadership that we are moving towards that goal in a meaningful way’, he stressed.
On the bilateral agenda, the Moldovan minister said that the two countries have a very close cooperation.
‘We are looking to conclude the agreements now being discussed by our colleagues on the social protection for our community here. We have a small but vibrant community in Cyprus and we want to make sure that we provide them all the benefits that are available,” he said.
“The recognition of driver’s licences is another opportunity for our community here. The recognition of education diplomas and the cooperation on the intelligence side as we are trying to increase the level of intelligence sharing that’s also an important element on our agenda,’ he explained.
He added that Moldova has welcomed the largest number of Ukrainian refugees given the Russian aggression against Ukraine and expressed the hope that the war comes to an end. ‘In the meantime, we use all the avenues available to us, including during our presidency of the Council of Europe, to facilitate justice and to consolidate the international order’, he said.
‘Your contribution to Moldova’s European future will always remain enshrined in history given the incredible support that we have received during your presidency. And of course, we very much look forward to the time when Moldova will be able to celebrate its first year in the European Union and perhaps sometime in the not-so-distant future also the presidency of the European Union, like you did in such a moment’, he concluded.
Asked about a possible timeline regarding Moldova’s European integration, Pop?oi said that the country has a timeline for itself, as is should when engaging in a very tedious and important project.
‘We want to make sure that by the end of the year we do most of the work so that in early 2028 we can start getting closer to concluding the process, and by 2030 to have the ratification well underway. The window of opportunity that we have now is not endless, and we really need to make use of this window of opportunity that we have now’, he said.
‘We have waited 30 years, we have no more time to lose, and thanks to the support of great friends, we are in a very good position to realise this ambitious but realistic deadline that we have set for ourselves. But of course, the decision is up to the member states and we hope and work hard that the deliverables, the transformation that we do within the country, which is first and foremost in the interest of all citizens, is also validated and seen by member states’, he noted.
He added that the enlargement report from last year speaks volumes about Moldova’s progress and expressed the hope that the soon-to-come enlargement report will also validate the effort that it is doing this year.
‘It is a merit-based process, we are very happy that when we see countries advancing, because it shows that the process is prevalent, and we’ll continue to double down on the effort inside the country to make sure that we live up to the expectations that we set for ourselves first and foremost. In the same context, we would like to invite our Cypriot friends to come and invest in Moldova, because now is the time’, he stressed.
For his part, Kombos said that the enlargement process is the most important geopolitical tool that the EU has at the moment.
‘I think everyone in Brussels agrees that we need to make the best possible use of this tool. In terms of timelines, these have been defined primarily by the merit-based approach. When you have progress in terms of reforms of compliance, like in the case of Moldova, this of course makes things a lot easier at the political level’, he noted.
‘We are encouraging the enlargement process and the candidate countries to move forward in a spirit of full cooperation and alignment with the EU and the requirements, and at the political level we should and we are seeing the whole enlargement process exactly through this lens of geopolitical value to the Union itself. Of course, there is a very basic principle underlying this, namely that the candidate countries need to adjust to the requirements and not the other way around, and this is perhaps the key to success, it is what Moldova has been doing throughout this very difficult effort’, he stressed.
Asked about concerns over recent security incidents at the wider Black Sea area, the Foreign Affairs Minister said that the EU has taken a stand in relation to condemning recent violations of airspace.
‘We are very much aware of these incidents in our part of geography, we are facing them as a nation, as a country as well, from different actors. So for us, this is something that we should be very vocal about in terms of our European position’, he concluded.
Earlier today, President Christodoulides highlighted the shared political will to further strengthen bilateral relations between Cyprus and Moldova during his meeting with Pop?oi.
According to a Presidency statement, whilst welcoming the Moldovan Minister for Foreign Affairs, the President of the Republic said, among other things, that the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the EU had yielded results regarding the issue of EU enlargement, noting that we are seeing more Member States aligning their positions with those of the Republic of Cyprus on this matter.
He added that, in addition to the issue of Moldova’s accession process, the meeting would also address bilateral relations between Cyprus and Moldova, highlighting the shared political will to further strengthen them.