Chisinau to host foreign ministers of 46 Council of Europe member states

Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs Mihai Popșoi met today in Strasbourg with Secretary General of the Council of Europe Alain Berset, to discuss the organization of the institution’s Ministerial Session, which will take place in Chisinau on 14–15 May.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the meeting will bring to the capital of the Republic of Moldova the foreign ministers of the 46 member states and will mark the end of the country’s mandate in the presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.

During the talks, Mihai Popșoi thanked the Secretary General for his participation in the events organized in Chisinau in March, including the conference dedicated to the European Social Charter and the forum on media literacy and information integrity.

Mihai Popșoi highlighted the Council of Europe’s contribution to reforms in the Republic of Moldova over 30 years of cooperation, especially in the process of aligning national legislation with European standards.

For his part, Alain Berset praised the current level of cooperation and the efforts of the authorities in Chisinau in preparing the ministerial meeting, reconfirming the institution’s support for the country’s European path.

The discussions also covered the regional security situation, including the impact of the war in Ukraine, with an emphasis on the need for a coordinated response at the European level.

At the same time, during the meeting an agreement was signed between the Council of Europe and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the Republic of Moldova’s voluntary contribution to the organization’s Action Plan for Ukraine and on supporting the implementation of the Istanbul Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence.

Popșoi is paying a working visit to Strasbourg today, to deliver Moldova’s closing speech in the plenary of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), in the context of the end of the country’s mandate at the helm of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.