OREANDA-NEWS. July 30, 2014. Parliament Speaker Igor Corman met the European Parliament delegation led by Parliamentary Group of the European People's Party (EPP) Chairman Manfred Weber, the parliament's communication and public relations department has reported.

The main topics of the discussion focused on the cooperation between the Moldovan and the European parliaments in the context of the new composition, Moldova’s EU agenda, the internal political situation, regional context and relations with the traditional Eastern partners.

Igor Corman thanked the European parliament for its support in the process of visa liberalisation and signing of the Association Agreement between Moldova and the EU. The parliament speaker reiterated Moldova’s interest to boost cooperation with the European Union, including with the European Parliament. "We are interested in further using the existing platforms, primarily with the Parliamentary Cooperation Committee, as well as the EURONEST Parliamentary Assembly to promote our interests, aimed at the exemplary implementation of the Association Agreement with the EU. Thus, in the foreseeable future, we will be able to discuss the membership application and everything else related to the EU accession process", said the parliament speaker.
Referring to Moldova’s EU agenda, Igor Corman stressed that the authorities’ objective was to maintain stability in the country and continue the process of European integration.

For his part, EPP Parliamentary Group Chairman Manfred Weber said that Moldova was being closely watched by the European Union, monitoring the situation in the region. European Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs Chairman Elmar Brok said that the European parliament would speed up the process of ratification of the Association Agreement between Moldova and the EU. "Moldova is a small, but strategically important country for the EU," said Elmar Brok.

The MEPs urged the authorities to communicate more with citizens on the issue of the European integration. "We hope that EU’s opening towards Moldova is a signal for European companies to invest in your country. The European People's Party will continue to support the Chisinau-based authorities", said the members of the European parliament.

European Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs Chairman Elmar Brok, EPP Vice-Chairwoman Sandra Kalniete and EPP Group Coordinator on the EP Foreign Affairs Committee Cristian Preda were also part of the delegation.