The prime minister visited the home of Michael Katsika, a historic building that was the headquarters of the Friendly Society
The prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis made a visit to Moldovathe first visit of the Prime Minister of the Hellenic Republic to the country, where he had meetings with Moldova President Maia Sandu and Prime Minister Dorin Recean.
During the meetings, the mutual willing willingness to strengthen bilateral relations and expand co -operation, especially in the areas of trade, economy and energy, as well as the provision of know -how for the implementation of reforms related to the harmonization of Moldavia with the Community acquis.
During the meeting with Ms. Sandu, The prime minister underlined Greece’s assistance to Moldova’s energy security, while stressing that the transfer of gas from Greece to Moldova and Ukraine Through the Inter -Balkan gas pipeline it is a key for Europe’s energy security and the success of the vertical corridor.
The Prime Minister also pointed out the great prospects of cooperation in the field of renewable energy sources, in which Greece leads, as well as in connectivity projects for the benefit of the whole region.
Issues of regional and international interest were also discussed with an emphasis on developments in Ukraine, while opinion on the progress of Ukraine’s European course.
The prime minister, accompanied by Ms Sandu, visited the home of Michael Katsikas, a historic building that was the headquarters of the Friendly Society in Moldova and which is in the plans of the Greek state to acquire.
During his position, in the context of the two leaders’ statements in the press, Kyriakos Mitsotakis said:
“Honorable Mrs. President, dear Maia, first of all thank you for your very warm welcome and for your kind words. It is a great honor for me to be the first Greek prime minister to visit Moldova, a country with which Greece has very close historical and cultural ties. And thank you for remembering the story of Alexander Ypsilantis. His presence here was a symbolic event for the time, the beginning of our national struggle for independence.
My visit here today reflects my firm commitment to deepen our cooperation, strengthening our bilateral relations and jointly building a common European future. The President and I had the opportunity to hold a very constructive discussion on various issues related to our cooperation and to confirm the excellent level of our bilateral relationships.
After all, we have a very powerful Moldovan community in Greece and a Greek community in Moldova, which are living bridges between our peoples and contribute to strengthening our dialogue. We recently opened an embassy in Chisinau, which is a tangible proof of the importance we attribute to the upgrading of our bilateral relationships and their future perspectives. As you have pointed out, there is a great deal of unused potential to increase bilateral trade, but mainly to strengthen business ties.
We discussed extensively about the cooperation in the energy sector. Greece can enhance the energy security of Moldova through the southern gas corridor and the Revithousa, but in particular through the floating storage and recurrence unit of Alexandroupolis (FSRU), which allows us to be energy security providers for all of our regional security. And we talked about how we can make this gas pipeline operate seamlessly and be competitive in terms of prices, which will be important for Moldova, but especially for Ukraine.
We also talked about the significant prospects your country has in the field of renewable energy sources. You have made significant progress as we do. Greece today produces more than 50% of its electricity from renewable sources. There are days when we can produce up to 100% of our electricity needs from wind, sun and water. And we have encouraged Greek companies to actively contribute to Moldova’s attempt to develop further renewable energy projects. And I’m sure we’ll see tangible results soon.
I am also glad you mentioned in connectivity. The direct flights between our two countries are important. Greece is a destination for Moldovan tourists, but we also want Greeks to visit Moldova by appreciating this particular historical and cultural link between our two countries.
And, of course, I also noted the significant progress you have made in the IT field, where Greece is also growing at a very fast pace. And I believe that there can be opportunities to promote IT cooperation after this visit. We will work for that too.
In our discussions I reaffirmed Greece’s full support for the independence and territorial integrity of Moldova. And we are fully aware of the complex challenges that your country faces after the Russian invasion and the war in Ukraine. You should know that Greece is standing by you and that you can always count on our support.
We also had the opportunity, and I do it again publicly, as I have done many times, to reaffirm our commitment to the European course of Moldova. As a country we became the 10th member of the then European Economic Community in 1981, we know how important this commitment to linking a country to the European acquis is also important, also providing the necessary geopolitical stability. We have always strongly supported the decision to make your country a candidate to join a member and to start accession negotiations.
I had the opportunity to congratulate the Ms. president for Moldova’s successful course to joining the European family. It takes place under difficult conditions, we recognize it. But I think I have to praise you publicly for your efforts to implement difficult but necessary reforms in order to harmonize with the European acquis.
We will continue to be stable supporters of your European future. We are ready, as we discuss, to share our experience, to provide know -how where you consider it necessary to support your country in harmony with the European acquis. And we completely encourage you, despite the difficulties, to maintain this positive dynamics by intensifying the essential reforms you have already undertaken.
The president, I and other leaders of Southeast Europe, met yesterday in the historic city of Odessa, where we had the opportunity to participate in the 4th Ukraine-Eastern Europe Summit. The first summit, as you remember, took place, at the initiative of Greece, in Athens in August 2023. It makes me very happy to see that this initiative has been established. During yesterday’s meeting we discussed the latest developments. We re -expressed our full support in Ukraine and emphasized the important role of Moldova in this critical geopolitical context.
And of course, we also talked about ambitious connectivity plans, the vision I personally have for a corridor that will connect Alexandroupolis with Odessa through Bulgaria, Romania and Moldova and would be a great re -confirmation of the European countries and the regional connectivity.
And of course, every time we meet with our partners, we discuss the process of enlargement itself, not only with Moldova and Ukraine, but also with our partners in the Western Balkans. For us, enlargement has always been and remains a priority. It is a strategic investment that we must make as Europeans for peace, stability, well -being and security of the area. It is even more urgent today, in the given geopolitical context of Europe.
And I would just like to emphasize that we must maintain the credibility of the enlargement process and our interests in the field of security in the Western Balkans. We must keep the promise we have made to all your countries that we are committed to our reforms and common values, because the future of the Western Balkans, Moldova and Ukraine is in Europe.
I also had the opportunity to inform the Ms. President about regional developments, Greek -Turkish relations, the Cyprus issue, where our positions are known.
But let me close by saying that it is a real joy for me who by completing this visit we will have the opportunity to visit what, as I understand, is a very important milestone of Kissina, Katsika’s house. It has a special place, as you pointed out, in our struggle for independence, which began in 1821.
Dear Maia, Madam President, thank you again for the constructive debate. We have a lot of common plans to move on and expect to meet again very soon. “
Answering a question by journalist Irina Conor on behalf of the One TV television station on Moldova’s accession to the European Union, the Prime Minister noted:
“I would say that it is not my job to tell a foreign government what to do in terms of its accession to the EU. The plan has been drawn up in detail. It is a complex, meritocratic, difficult task. What I can say publicly is that it is worth it and that we can offer any technical assistance we need.
And the second point I would like to point out is that the reforms associated with this European venture can sometimes be difficult or politically painful, but they give fruit in the medium term and in the long run.
Therefore, in an environment where populist voices are becoming more and more powerful, it is important to emphasize that Europe and European integration remain a lighthouse of stability. In my opinion, this should be the direction in which Moldova must move and the benefits are far superior to any short -term costs.
And I think it is important that this message comes from a country that joined the European Union early. And we faced our own difficulties. Just ten years ago, Greece was on the brink of a total disaster, when, due to incompetent negotiations by the then government, we were in danger of leaving the eurozone. But we avoided the worst and we are grateful for it.
Therefore, the European course of Moldova, in our opinion, will benefit the people of Moldova, all the citizens of Moldova, in the end, and that is why we support it. “
