On 27 April 2023, the Latvian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Edgars Rinkēvičs, visited Moldova as part of a joint visit by the Foreign Ministers of the Baltic and Nordic countries (NB8). The NB8 ministers met with the President of Moldova, Maia Sandu, and the President of the Moldovan Parliament, Igor Grosu, the Prime Minister Dorin Recean, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nicu Popescu.
The visit of NB8 Foreign Ministers coordinated by Latvia demonstrates solidarity and support of the Baltic and Nordic countries to Moldova. The discussions focused on Moldova’s integration with the European Union (EU) and the security of the country in the current geopolitical situation.
Edgars Rinkēvičs underlined Latvia’s support for Moldova in the process of its integration with the EU and he urged Moldova to go ahead with the implementation of the necessary reforms in order to create the conditions for accession negotiations to begin as early as possible. “We want to see Moldova as a secure, united, democratic and prosperous country that is part of the EU. We appreciate the extensive reforms being undertaken by the Moldovan Government already, and call for them to be continued,” Edgars Rinkēvičs underlined.
Other matters discussed were the security situation in the region and the impact on Moldova of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. The Ministers highly commended the resilience of Moldova while counteracting Russia’s hybrid threats and successfully addressing other current challenges in economy, energy and other fields. Moldova’s solidarity with Ukraine was commended, including in receiving and provision of assistance to refugees from Ukraine.
The officials expressed conviction that the EU civilian mission in Moldova, as well as the EU’s assistance to the Moldovan army through the European Peace Facility would significantly help Moldova strengthen the country’s resilience.
During the visit, the NB8 countries and Moldova signed a joint declaration. See here for the full text here.
Background information
The Nordic-Baltic Eight, or NB8, is a format for regional cooperation between the like-minded comprises Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, and Sweden. Latvia assumed the leading role in the coordination of cooperation in 2023.