Chair of the Foreign Policy Committee Dzhema Grozdanova met with Moldovan Deputy Prime Minister of European Integration Iurie Leancă. The meeting, which took place in the National Assembly, was also attended by Stefan Gorda, Ambassador of the Republic of Moldova. Among the topics discussed at the meeting were opportunities for supporting Moldova for its EU integration and in relation to the Bulgarian national minority, which lived mostly in the region of Taraclia.

Bulgaria supports Moldova in its efforts towards European integration, and our country has a strong interest in strengthening this process during the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU, emphasised Dzhema Grozdanova. In addition, the Chair of the Foreign Policy Committee said that the Bulgarian national minority should keep its national memory and discussed with her interlocutors the ways in which Bulgaria could most effectively contribute to this.

Iurie Leancă emphasised on the need of a broad Bulgarian support for Moldova before the European institutions in Brussels. He said that in this respect, the Bulgarian MEPs could play a big role, by lobbying like their Romanian colleagues, for example. With regard to the Bulgarian national minority, the Taraclia State University plays an important role, but its maintenance is difficult, so we need closer ties with Bulgarian universities, which could send teaching staff on secondment to Moldova. Progress has been made in this respect with the agreements signed with the University of Veliko Turnovo and the University of Rousse, but the ties should be strengthened. It would also be useful, if Bulgarian municipalities invested in the region of Taraclia. This would not only improve the local citizens’ welfare, but also the ties between the Bulgarian community in Moldova and Bulgaria.

Dzhema Grozdanova agreed that the ties between the two countries should be intensified and welcomed the invitation to visit Moldova at the beginning of October 2018.