Moldovan delegation led by President Nicolae Timofti visits Minsk

19 июля 2015

By Alexei Adashkin: The first official visit of the President of Moldova to Belarus took place 15 years ago, in June 2000. Much has changed since then, including the geopolitical situation in the two countries. Moldova has signed the EU Association Agreement, while Belarus has joined the Eurasian Economic Union.

Last September, Alexander Lukashenko paid a visit to Chisinau, which resulted in the signing of a number of bilateral documents, as well as in a business forum featuring more than a hundred local companies and the opening of a Belarusian trade centre. Moldova’s leader visited Minsk as part of CIS summits in 2013 and 2014.

Since 2000, the volume of Belarus-Moldova mutual trade has grown more than five-fold, exceeding a record high of 400 million dollars in 2014. Thus, Moldova is Belarus’ 4th trade and economic partner in the CIS. Belarus provides Moldova with oil products, tractors, trucks, ceramic tiles, home appliances, medicines and cars produced at a Belarusian-Chinese enterprise and imports wine and spirits, fruit, vegetables and pork. Because of Russia’s embargo on Moldovan products Belarusian market is becoming increasingly important for Chisinau. Thus, last year Belarus imported 42% of Moldovan wine products.

Both countries can benefit from multidirectional integration. The Minsk - Chisinau interaction can become a bridge between the large-scale markets of the EU and the Eurasian Economic Union. Belarus and Moldova are moving on from trade to industrial cooperation. Moldova is home to an assembly plant of Belarusian tractors and trolleybuses. Besides, Nicolae Timofti’s visit resulted in a decision to set up a MAZ bus plant in Chisinau.

In turn, Moldovan businessmen are interested in processing fruit and vegetable products in Belarus. This issue was discussed at a Belarusian-Moldovan business forum, which took place as part of the Moldovan President’s visit.

Nicolae Timofti also visited Minsk Tractor Works and Stadler Minsk, met with heads of the two chambers of Belarusian Parliament and took a tour of the Great Patriotic War Museum.