Delegations of Ukraine and Moldova meet before the first Intergovernmental Conference with the EU

On Tuesday, 25 June, Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine Olha Stefanishyna met with Prime Minister of Moldova Dorin Recean in Luxembourg, where the negotiations on the accession of both countries to the EU officially begin today with the launch of the first intergovernmental conferences with Ukraine and Moldova respectively.

The meeting featured the following members of the Ukrainian delegation: Taras Kachka, Deputy Minister of Economy and Trade Representative of Ukraine; Serhiy Derkach, Deputy Minister for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine; Yevhen Perebyinis, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine; and Oleksandr Ilkov, Director of the Government Office for Coordination of European and Euro-Atlantic Integration.

The delegation of the Republic of Moldova was represented at the meeting by Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration Cristina Gerasimov, Minister of Economic Development and Digitalization Dumitru Alaiba, and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mihai Popșoi.

"On this momentous day, I am pleased to congratulate us on the start of negotiations on Ukraine's and Moldova's accession to the European Union. I am glad to share this moment with Moldova. This step clearly demonstrates the irreversibility of Ukraine's and Moldova's belonging to Europe and our European integration path. Our countries will continue to work tirelessly to harmonise national legislation with European legislation and integrate into the largest European market. For Ukraine, this is, without exaggeration, a historic moment and the embodiment of the aspiration of Ukrainians to live in a peaceful society based on values. Ukraine has proved through its experience that every decision we make to bring Ukraine closer to the EU strengthens our resilience," said Olha Stefanishyna, Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine, following the meeting.

She noted that the official launch of the membership negotiations is the result of significant efforts to implement profound transformations in both countries. Olha Stefanishyna also emphasised the productive cooperation and exchange of experience on the European integration path, and the importance of continuing close coordination.

For his part, the Prime Minister of Moldova congratulated Ukraine on the official start of accession negotiations and the first Intergovernmental Conference.

The parties also discussed the current situation in Ukraine, including the ongoing russian aggression against our country. In this context, the Deputy Prime Minister thanked Moldova for its continued support for Ukraine and its citizens. She also noted the participation of Moldova and the Prime Minister personally in the Conference on Ukraine's recovery in Berlin, as well as the participation of the President of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu, in the Peace Summit in Switzerland.

In the context of bilateral economic cooperation, Ukrainian and Moldovan officials discussed the development of communication between the two countries and border infrastructure. In the context of full-scale russian aggression, Moldova has become the second largest country in terms of passenger traffic from Ukraine, which demonstrates the urgency of close cooperation in this area.

The Ukrainian side thanked Moldova for its support in the face of war-related difficulties with the export of goods. The parties noted their mutual commitment to developing cooperation in this area.