Moldovan PM to visit Brussels to reaffirm country's pro-European course
CHISINAU. Nov 25 (Interfax) - Moldovan Prime Minister Pavel Filip has said that he will go to Brussels at the beginning of next week in order to show that his country is sticking to its course of integration with Europe.
"This trip is highly important. Ten months have passed since the last visit. So we will have an opportunity to talk about what has been done in the sphere of European integration. We will convey a message to Brussels that Moldova continues to implement the Association Agreement with the European Union. The election campaign is over, the president has been elected. We are a parliamentary republic. It is parliament that adopts all strategic decisions. That is why we should stay calm and continue our European path," the prime minister said at a cabinet meeting on Thursday.
Filip said that during his visit he would meet with the presidents of the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Council of Europe, as well as with numerous European officials to discuss investment, energy and other issues. A meeting with the NATO secretary general is expected to take place as well.
"The presidential elections cannot change the country's choice in favor of European integration. Moldova is a parliamentary republic. Strategic decisions are made by parliament, while their implementation is the government's prerogative. Appropriate constitutional guarantees exist. So does post-election common sense. We have set the goal of building a Moldova based on European values so that each citizen will understand that this is the right path," Filip said.
As reported, the Moldovan Central Election Commission had summed up the presidential election results and had forwarded them to the country's Constitutional Court for confirmation. The Constitutional Court is expected to issue its decision at the end of November, and the country's new president will be inaugurated in mid-December. During his election campaign, President-elect Igor Dodon spoke out in favor of terminating the Association Agreement between Moldova and the EU. However, he said after the elections that "the president has no such powers", but he would seek to secure the restoration of Moldova's strategic partnership with Russia.