OREANDA-NEWS. February 25, 2009. Sergey Lavrov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, paid a working visit to the Republic of Moldova on February 23-24. In Chisinau President Vladimir Voronin of Moldova and Prime Minister Zinaida Greceanii received him for conversations, and he had talks at the MFA and meetings with members of the public. The discussion of bilateral cooperation and international and regional politics enabled stating a considerable potential for partnership in the interests of strengthening the traditional friendship between the peoples of Russia and Moldova.

The sides expressed their mutual satisfaction with the continuing high level and dynamism of the political dialogue, covering the most topical problems and aimed at the development of mutually advantageous economic and trade ties and intensification of engagement in the humanitarian sphere.

Discussion of the foreign policy interaction of the two countries held a priority place. Questions were examined pertaining to the formation of a new world system which would meet to the greatest extent the interests of enhancing security and joint responsibility in the elaboration of responses to common threats and challenges. Considering that Moldova is in the current year the chairman in the governing bodies of the Commonwealth of Independent States, a constructive conversation was continued on ways of increasing the effectiveness of integrative cooperation within the Commonwealth.

In discussing Transnistrian settlement problems, the Russian side expressed the readiness to facilitate in every way the continuation of direct contacts between representatives of the parties in conflict, who must seek agreement on the generally accepted principles of equality, in the spirit of responsibility for the resolution of all problems through political negotiations.

Sergey Lavrov welcomed as a positive example of the realization of such approaches the meetings that have begun in regular mode of experts from the working groups of the Republic of Moldova and Transnistria, established to resolve the accumulated practical problems. The international mediation in the negotiation process is called upon to exert further efforts towards restoring trust in the region, getting Chisinau and Tiraspol back on the path of a quest for viable compromises and elaborating for Transnistria a special, reliably guaranteed status within a territorial integral Moldova.

During the visit a Russian Center of Science and Culture was officially opened in Chisinau, and a Program of Cooperation between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of the Republic of Moldova in the Humanitarian Sphere 2009-2010 was signed, along with a Plan of Consultations between the MFA of Russia and the MFA of Moldova for 2009.

Copies of documents from the Russian Foreign Policy Archives relating to the life and activities of Moldovan statesman and enlightener Dimitrie Cantemir were handed over to the Moldovan side. This was a significant event in the year when the 650th anniversary of the Moldovan state is being marked.

The visit of the Russian Foreign Minister to Chisinau has again borne out the stable character of interstate relations between Russia and Moldova.